The Electronic Entertainment Expo, a.k.a. E3, is downsizing for a more ‘intimate’ event to suit games industry types.

Whether in Atlanta or Los Angeles, the annual E3 show has been the most glamorous event on the videogame calendar since 1995. Although public access has always been officially off-limits, the event itself has provided a convenient focus for mainstream media outlets to deliver the latest and greatest news in one fell swoop. This year 60,000 bodies squeezed through the doors of the L.A. Convention Centre to test drive PS3, Nintendo Wii and the best of Xbox 360 and PC. Next year, numbers will be limited to around 5,000 and by appointment only in and around L.A. The dates will be moved to July, instead of May, no doubt taking advantage of traditional videogame downtime in summer. Hmm… thank goodness for air-con.

The move, said “to better address the needs of today’s global computer and video game industry” by US organisers the Entertainment Software Association (ES), is probably for the better. The ESA cites the emergence of consumer events that include the Tokyo Game Show and the Games Convention in Leipzig as making E3 unnecessary in its current format. With Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all staging their own public events, we’ll still get major announcements throughout the year.

Basically E3 was old hat. Videogames have outgrown the need for a garish media circus held once a year in a far away land. Although a lot of people might miss the buzz surrounding E3, it really is daft waiting for several major announcements to happen all at once. If you want our opinion, we say it’s about time.