E3 2010: A Media Cirque
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, at the Los Angeles Convention Center has long been the flash-and-dazzle, mega-multimedia, show-to-end-all-shows for the electronic games industry. After a few failed experiments with smaller shows, E3 returned to its roots in 2009 with all the craziness and coolness you expect from the game industry: multi-million-dollar booths, models dressed as scantily clad video game characters (of both sexes), and booming audio dominating the show floor. This year, the spectacle is going to start even before the show does.
E3 attendees are eager to see the hottest new games and technologies.
The excitement begins on Sunday, June 13, when a star-studded crowd converges on L.A.’s Galen Center for the world premiere of Project Natal for Xbox 360 Experience, a spectacular live performance imagined by Cirque du Soleil. This promises to be like no other game industry event.
Expect full coverage on Xbox.com and on the Inside Xbox channel on Xbox LIVE following the event. Check out the whole thing commercial-free on MTV on Tuesday, June 15, at 3:30 P.M. ET, and on Nick at Nite, mtvU, MTV Hits, and Logo, Tuesday, June 15, at 9 P.M. ET.
Don Mattrick unveils Project Natal at E3 2009.
Monday, June 14, kicks things off with the Xbox 360 Media briefing, which promises to be full of game announcements, world premieres, and breaking news on the future of Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE. Tune in live to watch the event commercial-free on SPIKE TV at 1:30 P.M. ET. Check your listings for “Xbox 360: The Future Revealed” and tune in for all the excitement.
Past E3 Announcements
Just to whet your news appetite, here’s a quick rundown of the biggest Xbox-related announcements from past expos:
2001: Ship date and price of original Xbox revealed
2002: Xbox LIVE launched with MechAssault
2003: Halo 2 and Fable announced
2004: Halo 2 multiplayer hands-on, Forza Motorsport announced, EA comes to Xbox LIVE
2005: Xbox 360 unveiled
2006: Halo 3, GTA IV, and Gears of War announced
2007: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock, Assassin’s Creed, and Rock Band unveiled
2008: New Xbox Experience (NXE), Xbox LIVE Avatars and Parties, Netflix support, and 1 vs. 100 LIVE revealed
2009: Project Natal announced and demonstrated, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr onstage to launch The Beatles: Rock Band, Modern Warfare 2 unveiled
Those are just the highlights from the past decade. Tune in live to see what the 2010 press conference will bring!
This Batmobile promoted last year’s Batman: Arkham Aslyum.
The main show floor opens up on Tuesday, June 15, with all the major software publishers showing their upcoming games. Attendees will see the latest progress on long-in-the-works titles, get a chance to get hands-on play with titles shipping this fall, and witness the unveiling of dozens of completely new games.
Getting an early look at Dark Void at E3 2009, from the lead character.
Inside E3
If you’re not on the E3 invite list, though, don’t despair. Watch Xbox.com throughout E3 for the full scoop on all the big announcements, and watch for up-to-the-minute updates on the Xbox.com Community Blog. And finally, tune in to the Spotlight and Inside Xbox channels on Xbox LIVE throughout the show for on-the-spot reports from Major Nelson and TinaSumSum.
–Article by Denny Atkin