"There are two major factors that pushed us to do this new round of research: The first is the introduction of a major public presence to the show, which started a few years back but has grown significantly since then," reads Evolve's analysis by client support and research coordinator Matt Broitman. "The second factor is that a number of larger companies have been dropping out or otherwise reducing their presence at the show. These factors have fundamentally started to change the nature of E3, away from an all-encompassing industry-focused event, and toward a more public showcase or convention akin to PAX."
In total, Evolve's traditional media sample produced 1217 pieces of first-hand, show floor coverage -- on average, 4.2 more articles per outlet than in 2017, but also 40% less total articles than in 2017. Previews were down roughly 5% from 2017, while interviews were up roughly 5%. And of 240 games covered in total, about 40% only saw a single article or mention within the two weeks following E3.
On the influencer side, Broitman notes that YouTube and Mixer saw an increased presence in 2019, in part due to Microsoft inviting large numbers of Mixer streamers. Of 34 sample channels, 47 pieces of coverage were produced, with Broitman concluding that "with so little to work with from this side of the sample, there really isn't much that can be said beyond that attending Influencers just aren't creating coverage at E3, at least not in the volume that might be desired."
First, the report broke down total media attendees, with numbers for individual attending media members taken from ESA's official E3 lists as follows:
- 2016: 2492
- 2017: 3000
- 2018: 1831
- 2019: 2024
"The pool of first-hand coverage that came out of E3 this year has shrunk comparatively, and what remained went even further to those big names, leaving smaller titles high and dry," he said. "This results in E3 having lost its identity and failing to excel in any given category; it's too expensive to be a public focused show like PAX, too crowded and public to be an industry-focused event like GDC or DICE, and too broad and loud to generate the undivided attention that larger-scale in-house efforts like a Nintendo Direct or even a basic press tour can produce."
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