Note: Sunday, July 30th, Next-Gen broke the story saying that the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) was going to make a major announcement about E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) including the fact that major vendors had pulled out, among other unsubstantiated rumors. This created much debate from blog to forum across the Internet.

Since then, a press release by the ESA, and an interview of Doug Lowenstein in the Wall Street Journal has cleared up many questions (while creating many more questions, of course). However, this was mostly written before those events, and left as originally written, with the exception of what is now fact.

E3 is the yearly media circus set in May where the gaming industry shows off everything that is new in the world of gaming. Though the event has been press/industry only, it was not impossible to get through the gate. Next year's E3 will be by invitation only.

Though not all questions have answers, the show that is E3 will never be the same again.

E3 will be downsized from the L.A. Convention Center and an attendance of around 60,000 (in 2006) to a set of hotel rooms in L.A. with a target head count of around 5,000.

That is a big change, but much of the future of E3 remains to be seen — even after today's events.

I am not sure what to think about the small show in a hotel. I am going to wait for more news from the ESA. Is the "new" E3 a way to salvage a show after big names (Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, EA) pulled out? And is Lowenstein spinning this "evolution" of E3 on us? I have no idea. But I want more solid answers first, before I form a hair-brained idea.

The following is the original editorial.

Joystiq, Kotaku, and even Blogcritics thought it was necessary to report on the rumors that E3 was cancelled.

I have never understood the usefulness of reporting rumors as news, in the gaming space or otherwise. It is a fundamental flaw with all journalism and no one can be blamed, because everyone does it.

Sure, rumors have their place, but there are times when they seem way out of line. This was one of those times. Everyone was reporting how the sky was falling on the gaming industry.

All the while, I didn't jump the gun, and predicted a smaller show. And that seems like what is happening. I am getting sick and f-ing tired of all these gloom-and-doom reports (rumors). Frankly, blogs piss me off when it comes to this shit (see white PSP advert incident).