E3 felt like a hospital corridor

Sega of America president Simon Jeffery has likened the atmosphere of this year’s under-populated E3 to a hospital corridor” – but still celebrated the business his firm managed to get done at the expo.

Speaking to MCV, Jeffery also backed the Entertainment Software Association to turn things around in future, and poured scorn on those who have left the organistion – but who still ‘expect all the services’.

He called for a return to something closer to E3s of years gone by – but without the insanity”.

He also put his faith in the ESA to work hard to bring these publishers back on board”.

Jeffery told MCV:

E3 was a strange beast this year. We had an extremely strong product showing, had some great meetings, and got our messaging over pretty strongly – all at an event that had all the atmosphere of a large hospital corridor.”

He added: We are big supporters of the ESA, and believe in an efficient need to communicate with the trade at all levels, but we’d like to see something that represents the fun, dynamic nature of the industry a little better without going back to the insanity that was E3 of old.”

On companies that have left the ESA, Jeffery commented: I’m not at all happy with the principal of coat tailing. It’s like not paying your taxes but still expecting all the government services. I know that the ESA will work hard to bring those publishers back on board, and we believe in them.”