NCsoft, Foundation 9 bypass E3 ‘08

The Electronic Entertainment Expo has been in a serious state of flux in recent years. At the behest of many top publishers and hardware makers, the E3 Media & Business Summit organizer Entertainment Software Association said in July 2006 that it would be dramatically downsizing the annual trade show–reducing attendees from approximately 60,000 to a mere 5,000–and changing the venue from the spacious Los Angeles Convention Center to segmented locations in Santa Monica, California.

In December, the ESA said that the E3 Media & Business Summit would be returning to the LACC, but that this year’s show would remain a scaled-down affair in line with the 2007 expo, which was invite-only. Though the ESA no longer plans to occupy the LACC in its entirety, the convention center will have at least one noticeable void on its show floor. Earlier today, Activision (and by proxy Vivendi) said it would not be attending this year’s media event, and in fact would not be renewing its membership with the trade body at all.

With Activision and Vivendi pulling out of this year’s show, it now appears as if at least some other studios are following the soon-to-be merged giants’ lead. If Its Games has learned that NCsoft and Foundation 9–both of which participated in last year’s show–will not be attending this year’s event.

“No, we’re not attending E3 this year,” said a Foundation 9 representative. “We just didn’t feel like we got enough out of the investment last year in order to justify the expense this year.” Foundation 9 has 11 internal development studios, including Backbone Entertainment, Double Helix (nee Shiny and The Collective), Amaze Entertainment, Sumo Digital, and Digital Eclipse. Upcoming games from Foundation 9’s various studios include Silent Hill: Homecoming, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and Monster Lab.

[UPDATE] Following If Its Games’s original report, a Foundation 9 representative clarified the developer’s absence at the show. “Our decision not to exhibit at E3 this year, was in no way in response to Activision