Posted on 04/05/2013 at 06:17 PM
| Filed Under Feature
I would exactly state it like that. The biggest of the three actually want as many people in as possible, as best as I can gather. At least, that's the case at E3. In 2011, I went to the show and was able to get into Sony and Microsoft's press conferences without issue without an invitation or anything along those lines. I had proper credentials, sure, but I didn't have to prove anything about readership. I did have my E3 media badge at that point, though.
However, that's where the mystery kind of goes. It makes Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo look good if they treat the little guy well, even if they don't care anything for or about them. Whether they do or don't, I don't know. However, if an organization like the ESA is the one making the tough decisions at the request of the gaming giants, then it is possible for the giants to squash sites like us through a proxy like the ESA without sullying their names.
And, really, I'm not saying that's the case. At the same time, though, the ESA does stand for a lot of things these companies, individually, say they don't agree with (Remember SOPA and PIPA?), which suggests the ESA is being used that way to some degree, although that doesn't mean anything direct about the relationship between publishers and the media.
I'll get into a fun story about E3 registration in 2011 next week. It's on an older podcast, don't get me wrong, but it's certainly striking.