E3 2017 will be a public event

E3 2017 will be a public event, allowing members of the public to attend the event for the first time. Before now only industry insiders and members of the press/media were able to attend the event, though in recent years the expo’s rules have been relaxed to allow YouTubers, bloggers and other online personalities to attend the event.   

On February 13th tickets for the event will go on sale, with regular tickets costing $250 and the first 15,000 “early bird” tickets selling for $150. 

Some of you may be asking why E3 is now opening up to the public, though the answer simply comes down to money. In recent years several major publishers have pulled out of the main E3 event and created their own external exhibits as nearby venues, with EA, Ubisoft and Bethesda already hosting their own independent E3 events. This means that these companies are no longer paying for large E3 booths, forcing E3’s organisers to seek other revenue streams.  

Now it is easier for smaller developers to have an E3 presence and public tickets/attendance allows E3 to generate more revenue and will allow developers to get more eyes on their E3 booths. This, in theory, is good news for everyone involved. 

 

 

When compared to Gamescom 2016, E3’s tickets come at an absurdly high price, with Gamescom’s tickets costing €20 rather than $250. While E3 is a much larger event, it is hard to call the price anything but prohibitively high.  

 

You can join the discussion on E3 becoming a public event on the OC3D Forums.