E3 2020 could rebrand as ‘fan and influencer festival’

E3 organiser The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is attempting to rebrand the long-running industry event as a “fan, media and influencer festival” for next year’s show.

That’s according to an E3 2020 pitch deck sent to the lobbying group’s members (which includes most major game publishers) and obtained by GameDaily, in which the ESA says it plans to make changes to E3 based on the feedback it gathers.

Influencers and paid celebrity appearances are a big part of the proposed overhaul, including a redesigned West Hall at the LA Convention Center, featuring eight “experience hubs” among traditional game company booths.

ESA members are said to have voiced approval for the new floor plan.

E3 2020 could also see an additional 10,000 consumers given access to the event, the document reveals, bringing the total number of consumers on the show floor to 25,000. To compensate, an industry-only day has been proposed for the event’s opening Tuesday.

The ESA said it wants to create “exclusive/appointment only activations for select attendees who will create buzz and FOMO,” however its members are said to have disapproved of the idea of paying celebrities, according to the deck.

A digital app is also proposed to help mitigate wait times. However for those that do queue, the ESA said it has plans for what it calls “queuetainment” to market to those in line.

Finally, the E3 2020 pitch deck proposes creating paid media partnerships “with major outlets that exponentially increase the reach of E3 and its exhibitors,” with the intention of enabling ESA “to control content and the message.”

The ESA has been under significant pressure in recent years to reinvent the E3 show, with several major publishers including EA, Sony and Activision having abandoned the event in recent years.

In August the group also angered media attendees after it leaked a list of personal details belonging to over 2,000 members of the media who attended E3 2019, including their home addresses and phone numbers.

Following the leak, the ESA said winning back the trust of its media partners was its “top priority.”