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History of E3
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The history of the E3 began with its creation in 1995 and has continued through the current expo in 2008. The conference was known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo from 1995 to 2006. From 2007 onward, the conference is known as the E3 Media and Business Summit.
995, the first E3 was put on by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association).
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The history of the E3 began with its creation in 1995 and has continued through the current expo in 2008. The conference was known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo from 1995 to 2006. From 2007 onward, the conference is known as the E3 Media and Business Summit.
Electronic Entertainment Expo
1995 to 1998
In 1995, the first E3 was put on by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association). It coincided with the start of a new generation of consoles, with the release of the Sega Saturn, and the announcements of upcoming releases of the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Virtual Boy and SNK's Neo*Geo CD. Specifications for the Nintendo Ultra 64 (later renamed the N64) were released, but there was no hardware shown. The event ran from May 11 through May 13 in Los Angeles, California. Keynote speakers included Sega of America, Inc. president and CEO Thomas Kalinske; Sony Electronic Publishing Company president Olaf Olafsson; and Nintendo chairman Howard Lincoln.
The event continued to grow and become a common place for the unveiling of new products. In 1996, Nintendo's press conference unveiled the Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64 in the U.S. The Unreal Engine was shown for the first time by Epic MegaGames, but no actual Unreal gameplay. StarCraft also had its debut in a very early build of the game as well as Final Fantasy VII. The event ran from May 16th through May 18th in Los Angeles, California.
In 1997 E3 was held in Atlanta, Georgia, some of what would become the most popular first-person shooter games are unveiled, such as Half-Life and Unreal. Other first person shooters included SiN, Daikatana, Prey, Quake 2 and Jedi Knight 2. In addition, the stealth action game Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation was unveiled.
In 1998, Half-Life made an ultimate appearance at E3, in its final development stage. Duke Nukem Forever, a game that as of 2008 remains in development, was shown for the first time. A Prey trailer was also shown. The event was again held in Atlanta, Georgia.
1999
1999 saw the dawn of a new generation of consoles. The Dreamcast, the first sixth generation era console, was featured. The event from here on ran usually in Los Angeles, California.
2000
Game makers in 2000 showcased some of the greatest game icons of the generation. The PlayStation 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty were featured, as was the Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved. The latter had a poor showing, though it later became one of the world's best selling video-games. The PlayStation 2 would go on to become the world's highest-selling console.
2001
In 2001, the Nintendo GameCube and the Xbox, two new systems, were featured. They would both be released later in the year. Microsoft held its press conference unveiling their first season of games for the Xbox. Some notable mentions include: Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Enclave, Jet Set Radio Future, Halo, Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding, Mad Dash, Project Gotham Racing, Project Ego, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Dead or Alive 3, and Gunvalkyrie.
Nintendo also made its first American unveiling of the Nintendo GameCube in this event. Some notable games included Luigi's Mansion, Star Wars, Pikmin, Wave Race: Blue Storm, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Cel Damage, Eternal Darkness, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Super Monkey Ball, and Star Fox Adventures. Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, unveiled at an earlier Spaceworld was almost absent from E3 2001.
This year was also the last E3 appearance of the Sega Dreamcast. Although it was nearing the end of its small lifespan, it still continued to show support. Some games included Sonic Adventure 2, Floigan Brothers, Ooga Booga, and Bomberman Online.
2002
Despite the loss of Sega as a platform holder, the 2002 E3 continued the trend of bigger and bigger shows. Along with unveiling Xbox Live, the Xbox also made a showing at E3 2002, Microsoft hosted numerous games like Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Splinter Cell, Dead to Rights, Unreal Championship, Panzer Dragoon, Ninja Gaiden, and the never to be released B.C.
Nintendo GameCube games previewed on this show included Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Star Fox Adventures, Timesplitters 2, Resident Evil 0, Wario World, Rayman 3, Aggressive Inline, Phantasy Star Online, and 1080° Avalanche. They also unveiled the first major wireless controller, the Wavebird, with Super Mario Sunshine being played with it. Nintendo also supported the Game Boy Advance with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland, Doom II, Nights: Score Attack, Reign of Fire, Egg Mania, BattleBots, and Super Monkey Ball Jr.. They also showed how you one could connect with the Nintendo GameCube for special content, as demonstrated in a co-op mode for The Wind Waker.
The PlayStation 2 also made the headlines with Grand Theft Auto III, a free-roaming game controversial for its mature content. Other games include Colin McRae Rally 3, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, Red Dead Revolver, The Getaway and Kingdom Hearts.
PC game makers also made an appearance, revealing Doom 3 for the first time. Age of Mythology and Warcraft III were previewed.
2003
In, 2003, Half-Life 2 was unveiled, a Halo 2 single player demo using an experimental lighting engine (which was not used in the final game) was shown and the PlayStation Portable was first mentioned. During this E3, exhibitors emphasized the rise of the MMORPG genre. The Sims 2 was also unveiled. Many gamers were surprised by the new game and asked Maxis questions after the information was released.
2004
The last year to focus primarily on the sixth generation of consoles was 2004. A Halo 2 12 person capture the flag multiplayer demo was shown taking place on Zanzibar. The PSP and Nintendo DS are featured. The first trailer for the second sixth generation Zelda game, later named The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was shown. F.E.A.R. was unveiled, a teaser trailer being released shortly after.
2005
This was the first time the E3 convention was aired on television and all future conventions are now slated to air on G4 network.
In 2005, the shift in focus continued with Sony debuting the PlayStation 3, albeit in unplayable form. Many of the games shown for the system were pre-rendered video. Nintendo unveiled the Wii (then the Revolution) along with the Game Boy Micro. Microsoft also unveiled the Xbox 360 at their press conference.
2006
The 2006 E3 show focused on the upcoming releases of Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii, along with the next wave of games for the Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PSP, and mobile phones. Several websites such as the Washington Post noted in retrospect that Nintendo 'stole the show'. They cited the long lines for attendees waiting to play the Wii.
Microsoft: Microsoft, holding its conference at the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, announced its plans for its current system, the Xbox 360. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, spoke of plans to integrate several Microsoft services into one entity with Live Anywhere. This service was planned to allow multiplayer games and communication possible between Xbox 360 and the (then unreleased) Windows Vista operating system for the PC. Microsoft also announced a significant expansion of its Xbox Live arcade service, promising many more arcade favorites in the near future. Upcoming games announced for the Xbox 360 included Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, Hitman: Blood Money, The Sopranos, Fable 2, Gears of War, and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Nintendo: On Tuesday, Nintendo held their pre-E3 press conference at the Hollywood and Highland Centre. The firm announced the US launch date for the Nintendo DS Lite. Nintendo decided not to announce the price for the Wii during E3, stating they preferred to announce it closer to the console's launch in Q4 2006. Upcoming games announced for the Wii included The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, Fire Emblem: The Goddess of Dawn, Red Steel, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Project H.A.M.M.E.R., and Excite Truck. Upcoming games announced for the Nintendo DS included Final Fantasy III, New Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Children of Mana, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, Yoshi's Island 2, Star Fox Command, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Disney's American Dragon: Jake Long, Attack of the Dark Dragon, Diddy Kong Racing DS and Mario Hoops 3-on-3. Upcoming games announced for the Game Boy Advance included Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, and Disney's American Dragon: Jake Long, Rise of the Huntsclan. Upcoming games announced for the Nintendo GameCube included Super Paper Mario, DK Bongo Blast, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Baten Kaitos 2. The first two games were instead released on the Wii, and the third released on the Wii and the GameCube.
Sony: On Monday evening, Sony Computer Entertainment held their pre-E3 press conference at the Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City. The company announced the prices of two versions of its upcoming PlayStation 3 console for which the release dates were previously confirmed. The PlayStation 3 would retail for $599. The company said they would release the console in 20GB and 60GB versions. Sony also revealed the Sixaxis controller, which was announced to include motion sensing technology. Upcoming games announced for the PlayStation 3 included Grand Theft Auto IV (which wasn't released until 2008), Warhawk, Eyedentify, Final Fantasy XIII, MotorStorm, Vision Gran Turismo (later named Gran Turismo HD), and Genji: Days of the Blade. Upcoming games announced for the PSP included Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Killzone: Liberation, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, LocoRoco, Monster Hunter Freedom, Gangs of London, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, Sonic Rivals, Silent Hill: Origins (working title), Lemmings, and Ridge Racer.
E3 Media and Business Summit
On July 31, 2006, it was announced that the expo would be downsized and reconstructed. On October 13, 2006, the new format was detailed. Essentially, the E3 "Trade Show" was replaced with a much lower-key and selective series of events known as the E3 Media and Business Summit. It focused on press events and small meetings rather than the large, hectic environment of previous years. The summit was in Santa Monica, from July 11-13.
The move was widely criticized by those both within and outside the gaming industry, notably by Sim City and Spore creator, Will Wright;
2007 (July 11-13)
Microsoft: Microsoft announced that Disney movies would be coming to Xbox 360 Live Marketplace. Gears of War was announced to be coming to the PC. New trailers were shown for Halo 3 and Halo Wars. A Halo-themed Xbox 360 was also announced. Details on Civilization Revolution and Fallout 3 were given. BioShock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Assassin's Creed for Xbox 360, as well as Crysis for the PC were demoed. It was also announced that the Xbox 360 Elite would be coming to Europe on August 24 2007. It was announced that the Xbox Live Video Marketplace would be released in Canada and select European countries in late 2007.
Nintendo: Nintendo announced and demoed three new peripherals; the Wii Balance Board, Wii Zapper and Wii Wheel. Wii Balance Board was announced to come packaged with Wii Fit and involves families coming to exercise together. The Wii Wheel was announced to be packaged with the newly announced Mario Kart Wii. The Wii Zapper was announced to come packaged with its own software at a low cost. Nintendo dated Super Smash Bros. Brawl for December 3, 2007, (though later in October 2007, the launch was delayed until February 10, 2008 and delayed again to March 9, 2008) and Super Mario Galaxy for November 12, 2007. De Blob, Contra 4, and Metroid Prime 3 were demoed, the last in near-complete form. A trailer for Soulcalibur Legends was shown at the conference. Nitrobike and Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 were announced, the latter including 32 multi player online.
Sony: Sony announced that the 60 GB PlayStation 3 would be getting a US$100 price cut and a new 80 GB PlayStation would be coming packaged with MotorStorm for US$600 before E3 had started. An announcement made during E3 said that the price cut was be made so Sony could clear all existing stock with the 60 GB PS3 and discontinue it (in America) when the 80 GB PS3 was released. A slimmer, more compact version of the PlayStation Portable was announced and demoed. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Gran Turismo 5, Resident Evil 5, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed trailers were shown. Heavenly Sword, Killzone 2, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and Burnout Paradise were demoed. Silent Hill 5 was announced with a short teaser trailer.
2008 (July 15-17)
Microsoft: Microsoft released demos for Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Fable II, Resident Evil 5 and Saints Row 2, among other games. Though not all demos are for download on Xbox Marketplace, new trailers for them have been added. Also, an Xbox 360 dashboard update scheduled for fall 2008, with a new user interface and avatar system, was previewed. Additional television and movie content from NBC Universal and other providers was announced for Xbox Live, including support for Netflix instant-watch titles. A television-style gaming feature known as Primetime was shown with a game based on the game show 1 vs. 100 shown as an example, there were also hints at a "Big Brother" type game and also a "Deal or No Deal" one. Final Fantasy XIII was also announced to be released for Xbox 360 in Europe and North America.
Nintendo: Wii MotionPlus was announced by Nintendo on July 14 2008. It connects with the expansion port at the bottom of the Wii Remote to boost its precision, and can render every movement in the wrist or arm to allow for a real-time response in gameplay when used in conjunction with the Sensor Bar and the Wii Remote's built-in functionality. A demo for Wii Music was unveiled on July 15, revealing support for the Wii Balance Board, as well as the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The Wii Speak peripheral was also introduced, a microphone device that will allow remote communication between players that will debut with one of the announced games, Animal Crossing: City Folk, and be compatible with The Conduit, both games for the Wii. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was announced alongside Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades and details on Spore Creatures, all games for the Nintendo DS. A sequel for Wii Sports, titled Wii Sports Resort, was revealed to be in development and to be released next spring. At a private roundtable conference, development of a new Pikmin game was confirmed, along with research for a new The Legend of Zelda game and two new Mario games, one of which is a sequel to New Super Mario Bros. and another one a sequel to Super Mario Galaxy.
Sony: Sony started its E3 presentation with a demo of Resistance 2. Details about an updated PlayStation Network were also released. These included Life With PlayStation and a new video download service which allows users to buy or rent movies from a large selection of movie publishers including Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Fox Home Entertainment, Disney, and MGM. Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty was trailed, the sequel to Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and a downloadable title from PSN. Brief trailers of God of War III and other games were shown for the system. Sony announced the restart of the "Greatest Hits" list of games, releasing titles with high sales performances such as Assassin's Creed, Fight Night, Resistance: Fall of Man and more for $30 U.S. Other new titles were revealed including Resistance: Retribution for the PSP and Massive Action Game for the PS3. Sony also revealed they will be releasing a PSP bundle pack that will include an Ice Silver PSP Slim and Lite, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, National Treasure 2 on UMD, a voucher for Echochrome, and a 1GB Memory Stick Duo. Sony also announced an 80GB version of the PlayStation 3 is to be released for PAL and NTSC regions in August 2008, for the same price as the current 40GB model.
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