Media will get 3-hour headstarts this time around
I’m not going to lie. My first E3 experience was hell. While I attempted as a media/journalist, E3 2017 was also open to the public. And that made covering the event a lot less fun than it should have been. Of course, myself, as well as other journalists, were very vocal about the experience. Hoping that the folks who run E3 would take notice and make a change. Well, it seems that they have made a change and it’s promising.
While there hasn’t been any public official announcement, I did get an email from E3Expo about the change. There are time slots for both the public and industry/media. This is what we’ve been asking for and it’s been delivered. Well, sort of, anyway. While there isn’t a day devoted solely to journalists or the industry, they will get a few hours in before the public.
ESA announced several updates to the show. E3 2018 will feature extended show hours to accommodate all attendees, providing industry and media exclusive time on the show floor without cutting short gamers’ opportunities to play the most anticipated games of the year. Additionally, E3 Coliseum will return to L.A. Live with producer Geoff Keighley (The Game Awards) to give gamers three full days of panels and behind-the-scenes access to the show’s biggest announcements.
Those time slots can be seen below.
|
Tuesday, June 12 |
11 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
2 p.m. – 7 p.m. |
|
Wednesday, June 13 |
9 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
12 p.m. – 7 p.m. |
|
Thursday, June 14 |
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. |
9 a.m. – 6 pm. |
Basically on Tuesday and Wednesday, the two busiest days of the event, media access will begin 3-hours ahead of the public. And while that doesn’t seem like a lot, it’s better than no headstart at all.
I’m not sure how our fellow gaming journalists may feel about the change, but I think it’s fair. Sure, it’s not a whole day ( I want an entire day!), but I’ll take those extra three hours over nothing.
