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.

Shout box

quiknkold: as somebody who once had his skull fractured behind a grocery store as a kid because I was a nerd. Sam Biddle can eff himself with barbwire10/19/2014 - 2:59pm

Matthew Wilson: I dont agree with it, but that doesnt mean its not true sadly.10/19/2014 - 2:36pm

Andrew Eisen: Which I find to be (in most cases) extraordinarily petty.10/19/2014 - 2:34pm

Matthew Wilson: I get the joke andrew. In the social media age, if you say somthing stupid people will take it out on the company you work for.10/19/2014 - 2:30pm

Papa Midnight: It's Gawker. I'm not sure his comments can really do much to lower whatever modicum of perceived crediiblity that network of sites may have.10/19/2014 - 2:27pm

Andrew Eisen: Nintendo is better than Sony, Microsoft and sliced bread. Andrew Eisen is an exceedingly handsome man. Sugarboog is best Pony. These are now the official stances of the ECA!10/19/2014 - 2:24pm

Matthew Wilson: The sad fact is when you work for a company, you represent it like it or not.10/19/2014 - 2:21pm

hellfire7885: Looks like a lot of people are refusing the apology.10/19/2014 - 2:19pm

Andrew Eisen: The rest, including a joke about how his wife left him over this, can be found on his feed with minimal scrolling. https://twitter.com/samfbiddle10/19/2014 - 2:16pm

Andrew Eisen: For what it's worth, Biddle tweeted a few apologies. Here's one: https://twitter.com/samfbiddle/status/52324627795005849610/19/2014 - 2:15pm

Andrew Eisen: Oh, "Mercedes"! The car! Anyway, here's a relevant link: http://theralphretort.com/mercedes-pulls-ads-gawker/10/19/2014 - 2:11pm

Neo_DrKefka: Thanks Matt. Linking on my IPhone doesn't work to well here and there.10/19/2014 - 2:01pm

Matthew Wilson: http://imgur.com/XzpWeWw here is the twiter exchange in question.10/19/2014 - 1:39pm

Andrew Eisen: I either don't remember or didn't see it. Still have a link?10/19/2014 - 1:38pm

Matthew Wilson: its the twiter exchange I linked too a few days ago.10/19/2014 - 1:29pm

Andrew Eisen: That link doesn't work. Browsed the Twitter feed but couldn't find anything. Did find someone claiming a Gawker writer advocated bullying but didn't say who or where.10/19/2014 - 1:05pm

Neo_DrKefka: Gawker loses advertiser MERCED ES https://mobile .twitter.com/TheRalphRetort/status/522813815260733441/photo/1 after Gawker writer advocates bullying of nerds with an anti Gamergate rant10/19/2014 - 12:32pm

Matthew Wilson: https://soundcloud.com/totalbiscuit/weaponised-charity a interesting audio log.10/19/2014 - 12:04pm

prh99: Also there is no story in rational and respectful discussion (where you can find it).10/19/2014 - 10:44am

prh99: Well they are probably doing it on Twitter and probably the GG hashtag so any voice reason gets drowned out by idiocy. Also it's far easier to broad brush a group.10/19/2014 - 10:41am

All shouts

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