Citing the tremendous success of downsizing the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2007, event organizers say that E3 will be even smaller in 2008. “2007 was a step in the right direction,” says an event spokesman, “but it still had some of the excess and trappings of previous years. This is exactly what we wanted to get away from. Consider E3 07 as a stepping stone to the ideally sized event.”

At its peak size in 2006, E3 hosted hundreds of booths and filled out the entire Los Angeles Expo Center. E3 07 fragmented the event into a series of smaller venues, such as airplane hangars. E3 will further fragment the event much further.

“Sega is having their press conference in a van parked in the Safeway parking lot on Los Feliz. I think Microsoft is hosting their press conference in Steve’s living room because his parents will be out of town. And Nintendo, ever the showmen, will host their event in gazebo 8 in that park in Pasadena, you know, the one near the golf course,” confirmed ESA Event Coordinator Stacy Dugan. Although these larger companies have taken up the majority of mid-sized venues and room in Steve’s parent’s house, smaller companies are still finding viable places to set up shop: Activision and Namco are taking turns with the photobooth in that mall, and NC Soft will put jackets on half the tables in the food court, effectively reserving them.

In move for expediency, both the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP will show in front of that liquor store on the corner, the one that has sixes of Mickey’s for real cheap. “Due to the portable nature of the PSP, the stoop of a liquor store is probably the most ideal venue for the future of portable gaming,” says Sony Portable Division Head Rob Calder.

“E3 08 will be another major step,” says Dugan, “but we are hoping that in ‘09 we can all just meet at starbucks for a few hours.”

- Posted by chris