As E3 2020 Nears, ESA Says that Earning Trust Back is the Top Priority

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The ESA says it has heard the criticism regarding E3 over the past few years and vows that 2020 will be a "new and revitalized experience for everyone."

Believe it or not, it’s already time to start talking about E3 2020. Today, the ESA, the company behind the Electronic Entertainment Expo, announced its initial plans for this summer’s convention and just what it will in store.

Over on the ESA’s official website, the group outlined what E3 2020 is planned to look like come June. The ESA acknowledged that E3 has been under some criticism over the past few years, and as such, they’re looking to change how the event is run in 2020.

“We’ve listened to the feedback of our media partners, attendees and the industry at large. We are committed to keeping E3 at the level you’ve come to expect,” said the ESA in a blog post. “You’ll be happy to know that we’re not producing E3 2020 in a vacuum. For E3 2020, we’re collaborating with industry insiders and new creative partners, including the tastemakers at iam8bit.com, to reinvigorate the show and, frankly, to shake things up.”

So just what do those shake-ups look like? Well, the ESA wasn’t willing to say too much at the moment, but it did tease that there will be more “streaming and digital programming” from the show floor that lets people “play and celebrate games.” They went on to also state that there will be “surprise guests, amazing stage experiences, access to insiders and experiential zones that delight the senses.” I don’t know about you, but that all sounds like a bunch of buzzword nonsense to me.

#E32020 is in 131 days, and it’s going to be incredible! We’ve partnered with @iam8bit and others to ensure a floor experience like nothing you've seen. We’ve also taken steps to earn back your trust. Read the details…Registration starts in 2 weeks! https://t.co/RTNtUOE0fr pic.twitter.com/IFSqU1pieZ
— E3 (@E3) January 30, 2020

Perhaps most importantly though, especially to myself and my peers, the ESA said that it will be revamping its security measures to ensure that private information doesn’t get leaked this time around. In case you’re unaware, the ESA leaked the entire media list of attendees that went to E3 2019, which included private info for said attendees. What’s worse is that this wasn’t the first time this happened, either. Previously, media member information leaked in 2018, 2006, and 2004 as well.

As someone who was directly affected by this whole situation last year, I think what frustrates me the most about this statement from the ESA today is that what happened in 2019 wasn’t the result of poor security. The media list for E3 2019 wasn’t somehow leaked or hacked by someone online. Instead, the ESA just readily posted a dang spreadsheet with all of this info onto the E3 website that literally anyone could’ve gotten access to with a few simple clicks. Last year’s leak wasn’t the result of a security breach, it was the result of bumbling incompetence on the ESA’s part. To say otherwise is downright moronic.

I kind of ranted about this a few weeks back on Twitter as well and how the whole situation affected my own view of E3, if you care:

Really torn on where E3 is at. On one hand, that week is my favorite of the year and I love how it’s long been a place for the whole gaming industry to come together.
— Logan Moore ⚡️⚡️ (@MooreMan12) January 13, 2020

At the very least, the ESA says that this year it won’t be asking for as much information when it comes to the registration process, which is a start, I guess. Furthermore, none of the information will be cached on the official E3 website anymore, either. “Earning back your trust and support is our top priority,” the ESA said today. While I’m hard-pressed to believe that they actually care at all given how quiet they tried to keep things after last year’s leak, at least the steps they’ve made here are somewhat positive. We’ll have to wait and see if they actually matter later.

I still love E3 and I want the show to be better. That said, with all of the decisions that the ESA has made over the past few years, I have a hard time thinking anything will change in 2020. E3 has had an identity crisis for awhile now and the mere addition of things like special guests at the show likely won’t change much. The ESA needs to decide if it wants E3 to be a fan event or an industry event, not a little bit of both. Until it fully commits to one or the other, E3 is likely going to continue to be somewhat floundering in place.

E3 2020 is set to take place this summer from June 9 through the 11th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Registration for the event is set to open on February 15. As of now, we know that Sony once again won’t be present at the show this year, and the remaining list of publishers and developers that will be going hasn’t been announced just yet.

We should be learning a whole lot more about E3 2020 in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.