E3 2016 loses two more publishers, as Disney and Wargaming won’t be having a booth

Photo credit: Entertainment Software Association (ESA). Copyright © 2015 - ESA Entertainment Software Association

Following the news that EA and Activision won’t be having a booth at this year’s E3, there’s just been confirmation that Disney and Wargaming also won’t be bothering. It’s an epidemic. 

We’re going to have our work cut out for us when it comes to updating our list of upcoming PC games post E3, either way.

“From a company perspective, we’re focusing a large majority of activities on events focused on our players and community,” said a Wargaming representative in an email to VentureBeat. “Whether it’s a small group of players or hundreds at one of our player gatherings, they’re our main priority.

“From a strictly business perspective, E3 just doesn’t fit our current direction. It’s a show that is very centralized on retail product, and as a free-to-play digital download gaming company, we’ve realized that while the show may be a good fit for lots of other publishers and developers, it’s currently not a great fit for us.”

Disney Interactive have also said they’ll be dropping out of the show, instead opting for Nintendo-style announcements to fans away from the crowd of the world’s most famous gaming event. Disney will be doing“additional direct to fan engagements through the summer this year,” according a spokesperson contacted by VentureBeat.

There has been speculation that the booths are too expensive and the rise of things like streaming are making them less and less attractive as the years go on. Speaking toRich Taylor, senior vice president of communications at the Entertainment Software Association, Venturebeat tried to get the perspective of the show runners.

“Individual companies will make their own decisions in each iteration of E3,” Taylor said. “Overall, E3 for the past several years as been among the best shows we have ever experienced. E3 remains a dynamic and valuable and preeminent show of its kind in the world for video games, entertainment, and innovation. It’s still the place to be.

“We had 27 companies showing virtual reality at E3 [2015], and we expect a similarly strong showing of that technology this year. It remains a very important place to be. We dominate social media. We dominate a lot of traditional media. It’s a launch pad without peer in this industry and entertainment across the board.”