The trend of big game companies taking a pass on having a presence on the E3 show floor continues, as VentureBeat reports that both Disney and Wargaming will not have booths at the event this year.
It’s a notable trend, one that got its start back in January when Electronic Arts announced it was toning down its presence at E3 this year and relinquishing its booth space on the floor in favor of hosting its own event prior to the show. Earlier this month Activision followed EA’s lead by taking a pass on bringing its own booth to E3 in favor of showcasing its products via its partners’ events.
Now, the companies behind Disney Infinity and World of Tanks have confirmed they won’t be investing in E3 booth space this year either.
“From a strictly business perspective, E3 just doesn’t fit our current direction,” a Wargaming representative told VentureBeat. “It’s a show that is very centralized on retail product, and as a free-to-play digital download gaming company, we’ve realized that while the show may be a good fit for lots of other publishers and developers, it’s currently not a great fit for us.”
Presumably, this means developers attending the show may also miss out on seeing the now-traditional tank tableau (pictured) that Wargaming typically brings to the event as a marketing gimmick.
While Disney representatives have not (yet) given a public statement about why they won’t be bringing a booth to E3 this year, it’s worth noting that this will be the first year that the company won’t be releasing a new version of its flagship Disney Infinity game.
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