E3 2009

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009
GenreMulti-genre
BeginsJune 2, 2009
EndsJune 4, 2009
VenueLos Angeles Convention Center
Location(s)Los Angeles, California
CountryUnited States
Previous eventE3 2008
Next eventE3 2010
Attendance41,000
Organized byEntertainment Software Association
Filing statusNon-profit

The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 (E3 2009) was the 15th E3 held. The event took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. It began on June 2, 2009, and ended on June 4, 2009, with 41,000 total attendees.

Major hardware announcements during the show included Microsoft's Project Natal and both Sony's PSP Go and PlayStation Move, while major software announcements included Left 4 Dead 2, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Halo: Reach, Final Fantasy XIV, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Monado: Beginning of the World.

History

[edit]

The E3 2009 was greatly expanded in terms of size from the previous two years as it was reopened to all qualified computer and gaming audiences. In 2007, the E3 was restructured, downsized and renamed to the E3 Media and Business Summit. The move was widely criticized by those both within and outside the gaming industry. The following 2007 and 2008 E3 summits attracted very few attendees in contrast to previous years; E3 2007 attracted only 10,000 attendees and E3 2008 attracted 50% less, 5,000 attendees.

The E3 2009 aimed to return E3 to its 'pre-E3 2007' state, by reopening it to a larger audience allowing more attendees. As well as having a larger venue and allowing more exhibitors, E3 2009 also reverted its name to Electronic Entertainment Expo. However, like pre-2007, the event was still not open to the general public.

Floor Layout

[edit]

E3 2009 was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center with the show occupying the South and West Halls as well as the first floor.

West Hall

[edit]

The west hall housed both Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo as well as third-party publishers Activision, Bethesda, Capcom, THQ and Atlus. It also housed GameSpot's media booth.

South Hall

[edit]

The south hall housed a larger number of publisher booths, including Microsoft, Square Enix, Koei, Ubisoft, Namco Bandai, Warner Bros., Disney, Eidos, MTV Games, EA, Sega and Konami. This was also where the majority of G4's media coverage took place, and in the media and bloggers lounge.

First Floor

[edit]

The first floor housed sub booths of publishers on the ground floor, such as Square Enix, Sega, Capcom and Activision. It also housed the main booths of other publishers, such as LucasArts and Majesco Entertainment.

[edit]

Xbox 360

Wii

Nintendo DS

PC

PlayStation 3

PlayStation Portable

Capcom

Electronic Arts

Konami

MTV Games

Square Enix

THQ

Notable exhibitors list

[edit]

Atari was originally due to exhibit at E3 2009 but pulled out at the last minute. The reasons for this sudden withdrawal are still currently unclear.[1][2]

Notable press conferences

[edit]
  • Microsoft
Date: June 1, 2009
Host(s): John Schappert
Notable Speakers: Hideo Kojima, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tony Hawk, Yoshinori Kitase, Cliff Bleszinski, Steven Spielberg
Hardware Announcements: Project Natal
Microsoft reveals Project Natal, a detection, recognition and motion sensing device for the Xbox 360. Kojima revealed Metal Gear Solid: Rising as the first Metal Gear Solid game on Xbox 360, although the game will also be available for PlayStation 3 and PC. The Beatles: Rock Band was featured. Crysis 2 was announced. Trailers for Crackdown 2, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, Dante's Inferno, Mass Effect 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and The Saboteur were shown. Halo: Reach was announced by Bungie. Turn 10 Studios announced Forza Motorsport 3, to be released October 2009. Facebook and Twitter revealed to get their own programs on the 360. Gameplay for Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed II, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, Alan Wake, Halo 3: ODST, Forza Motorsport 3, and Final Fantasy XIII was shown. Also, a new upcoming game for Xbox Live Arcade is Shadow Complex, showed by Epic Games and Chair Entertainment.[3]
  • Nintendo
Date: June 2, 2009
Host(s): Reggie Fils-Aimé, Cammie Dunaway
Notable Speakers: Satoru Iwata
Hardware Announcements: Wii Vitality Sensor
Nintendo unveiled New Super Mario Bros. Wii which supports up to 4 player co-op. Golden Sun DS was announced. WarioWare D.I.Y. was announced for DS. Super Mario Galaxy 2 was announced for Wii, making the Wii the first console since the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to have two core Mario platformers. Wii Fit Plus was announced. More gameplay for Wii Sports Resort was shown. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was also announced for Fall 2009 . Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days were featured. Third party games Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, Dead Space: Extraction, and The Conduit were highlighted. In a private roundtable meeting, Miyamoto showed concept art for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and hopes to release it by 2010.[4]
  • Sony
Date: June 2, 2009
Host(s): Jack Tretton
Notable Speakers: Hideo Kojima, Kazuo Hirai
Hardware Announcements: PlayStation Move, PSP Go
Sony revealed the PlayStation Move prototype which uses the PlayStation Eye for 1:1 tracking. A new trailer for Final Fantasy XIII was shown. Square Enix announced Final Fantasy XIV, due to be released in 2010. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was announced. The PSP Go was featured. New gameplay demos of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and God of War III were debuted. Other games shown were Assassin's Creed II, ModNation Racers, Team Ico's The Last Guardian and Gran Turismo 5.[5]

Media coverage

[edit]

G4 was the official broadcaster of E3 2009. G4 offered 22 hours of live event coverage, coverage of all 5 major press conferences and exclusive interviews with gaming executives. G4's coverage began on-air and online (at G4TV.com) on Monday, June 1 and continued through Thursday, June 4. G4 also covered many exclusive game demos at E3 2009 as well as Steve Wiebe's unsuccessful world record Donkey Kong high score attempt.[6]

Attendance

[edit]

At E3 2009 there was a total 41,000 attendees, which is only a 41% reduction of the 70,000 attendee high from 2005 and an 820% increase on the previous year's (2008's) E3. These attendees came from 78 countries and viewed products from 216 different exhibitors.[7]

Awards

[edit]

A majority of the industry leading media outlets award Game of the Show. Additional awards pertaining to more specific categories based on platform and genre are also given.

E3 2009 Best of Show Winners

[edit]

IGN

[edit]
Best Action Game Best Fighting Game
Best Music/Rhythm Game Best Platforming Game
Best Racing Game Best Role Playing Game
Best Shooting Game Best Sports Game
Best Strategy Game Best Graphics Technology
Best Artistic Design Best Non-playable Presentation
Best PC Game Overall Game of Show

[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Atari Nixes Official E3 Presence". Kotaku. May 12, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  2. ^ "E3 Exhibitor List". E3Expo. June 2–4, 2009. Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  3. ^ "E3 2009: Microsoft Press Conference Part 1". IGN. June 4, 2009. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  4. ^ "E3 2009: Nintendo Press Conference Part 1". IGN. June 5, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  5. ^ "E3 2009: Sony Press Conference Part 1". IGN. June 5, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  6. ^ "G4 Named Official Broadcaster of 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Securing Unprecedented Television Rights to Gaming Industry's Biggest Event". E3. April 21, 2009. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  7. ^ Gamasutra - 2009 E3 Confirms 41,000 Attendees, June 2010 Return
  8. ^ "1Up's Best Games of E3 2009". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  9. ^ "2009 Game Critics Awards Winners". Game Critics Awards. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  10. ^ "Editor's Choice Awards 2009". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  11. ^ "GameSpy's Best of E3 2009 Awards". GameSpy. June 10, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  12. ^ "GameTrailers Best of Show 2009". GameTrailers. June 18, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  13. ^ Andrew Pfilster (June 8, 2009). "X-Play's Best of E3 2009". X-Play. Archived from the original on November 25, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  14. ^ IGN Editorial Staff (June 12, 2009). "IGN's Overall Best of E3 2009 Awards". IGN. Archived from the original on May 12, 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
[edit]