MIA: Apple at E3

June 21, 2010

The latest edition of LA Times technology blog makes a valid point about Apple's presence at E3: their really wasn't one. No big presser, no games on the show floor, and very few third-party titles being shown at any booths. That doesn't mean that game publishers and developers aren't developing the games, it just means that they apparently didn't think it was all that important to show them off, I guess.

Two big publishers - EA Mobile and Disney Mobile had small presences by the Times' accounting but they were mere afterthoughts to spaces dedicated to games like TRON, Battlefield, Medal of Honor and Epic Mickey. But it really brings in to focus the fact that Apple doesn't "seem to" care all that much about gaming.

Disney Mobile sees the iPad and iPhone market growing and wants to be in the space: "In their overall budget we're much smaller, but I think it's something that Disney really sees as big and growing," Disney Mobile's Tom Smith told the LA Times. "They want to be there. They want to be showing all of these great brands on these great devices."

While E3 attendees stood in line to check out the Medal of Honor and other games in EA's line-up, EA Mobile personnel marched around the exhibit, armed with iPads and iPod Touches, to distract folks. A weird way to get people's attention, for sure.

"The iPad gets overshadowed," Philip Cohen, one of those E3 operatives for EA Mobile, told the Times. "Handheld systems get lost in the excitement of flat screens, loud sounds and big flashy graphics."

But perhaps the main reason that Apple paid no heed to the biggest gaming event in the world its CEO Steve Jobs doesn't quite understand it himself. During the All Things Digital's D8 conference in L.A. this month he said that the iPhone and iPod Touch "created a new class of gaming" but that that class was a "subset of casual gaming."

That description isn't likely to inspire development studios inside big companies like EA and Ubisoft, even though all can see the potential of the iPhone or iPad as a powerful gaming systems..

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

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Comments

Re: MIA: Apple at E3

Submitted by hellfire7885 on Tue, 06/22/2010 - 12:02.

Heh, you'd figure they'd be there braggin about getting steam.

I won't be surprised if Jobs thinks his company and hardware are somehow too good for E3.

Poll

Shout box

E. Zachary Knight: If the videos are of sufficient quality that people subscribe and watch regularly, then those let's players are providing a service that people want. That is the heart of capitalism. That is not something that should be shamed.05/17/2013 - 8:06am

E. Zachary Knight: I have no idea who either of those people are. However, I still don't see why making a business out of creating let's play videos is somehow evil or wrong.05/17/2013 - 8:04am

MaskedPixelante: It sure is if you're just doing it for the money. See Tobuscus and/or Pewdiepie for what happens when people get into it just for the money.05/17/2013 - 7:30am

E. Zachary Knight: Why is it wrong to make money doing LPs? Why should that be something that should be shamed?05/17/2013 - 6:20am

MaskedPixelante: https://twitter.com/PsychedelicSA/status/335183893214924801 Now here's an interesting, glass half full thought about the Nintendo LP thing. It outs the people who are just doing LPs to make money.05/17/2013 - 5:56am

E. Zachary Knight: I responded in writing to all this "let's play" stuff Nintendo Started. No need for my permission, I won't give it. It's not mine to give. http://divineknightgaming.com/?p=29205/16/2013 - 2:21pm

E. Zachary Knight: Lars Doucet of Levelup Labs has a Reddit going on game companies that allow monetization of Let's Play videos. http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1egayn/lets_build_a_list_of_game_studios_that_allow/05/16/2013 - 1:04pm

Sleaker: @Imautobot - yah I wouldn't use an emulator as a good first run test of how stable the console is, haha.05/16/2013 - 11:47am

E. Zachary Knight: The 50th person to jump off a bridge is just as dumb if not dumber than the 1st.05/16/2013 - 10:03am

MaskedPixelante: Yeah, let's all jump on Nintendo for doing this, even though they're hardly the first company to do this...05/16/2013 - 9:47am

E. Zachary Knight: Wow Nintendo, this is wrong. http://kotaku.com/nintendo-forcing-ads-on-some-youtube-lets-play-video-50709238305/16/2013 - 8:44am

Imautobot: @Sleaker, further gameplay has revealed that the controller button do stick under the faceplate. Also, The NES emulator (Emuya)keeps crashing on me, though I think a bad ROM is causing it.05/16/2013 - 7:10am

Papa Midnight: AE: I wonder if any other publishers will follow suit.05/15/2013 - 8:12pm

Andrew Eisen: EA is ditching Online Pass. http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/15/ea-kills-its-controversial-online-pass-program/05/15/2013 - 7:20pm

Avalongod: @Zach and quicnkold...I've read the bill and the intent of it is to fear-monger. It's not a balanced message. I don't recall the ESRB being mentioned at all. It's more "keeps your kids away from these movies/games or they'll become violent"05/15/2013 - 4:35pm

E. Zachary Knight: quiknkold, The big problem with that legislation is the amount of misinformation out there. Who is going to ensure that the information in the pamphlet is accurate?05/15/2013 - 3:25pm

quiknkold: REBeardogg : I'm on the fence about this. on one side, I want parents to be aware of the ESRB, and even Movie Ratings. On the other hand, I feel this will be used for nothing but Propaganda. The ESRB does a good job.05/15/2013 - 3:07pm

IanC: Frostbite is coming out on iOS devices. Yet the Wii U cant handle it? *coughbullshitcough*05/15/2013 - 2:31pm

BearDogg-X: http://www.politickernj.com/65515/lesniak-ruiz-bill-limit-children-s-exposure-media-violence-clears-senate - Bill requiring schools to publish pamphlets with anti-fake media "violence" propaganda clears NJ Senate05/15/2013 - 2:03pm

quiknkold: I am thinking of writing a musical about videogames, violence, and the first amendment. Would need a collaborator though and would kickstart it after the script is written. was thinking off broadway.05/15/2013 - 2:00pm

All shouts

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