Ever wanted to attend one of the greatest annual gaming convention but have no WordPress account? Well you're in luck! E3 will be open to the public for the first time ever this year!

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which organizes the event every year, announced today that 15,000 tickets will be made available for the general public to buy this coming Monday, February 13. Each ticket is priced at $250 (earl bird tickets are at $150, available on February 13) and provide access to the show floor, panel discussions, and other events from Tuesday through Thursday of E3 week. Partnering with Geoff Keighley, the ESA will also provide attendees with access to special benefits associated with Keighley's own E3 programming, such as developer interviews and more. More details are said to be announced in the upcoming weeks.

The event organizers are also offering a new class of business passes, giving access to the business lounge and grant priority access to the convention center.

The ESA experimented with its 2016 E3 Live event, which was free and open to the public and attendees could go hands-on with upcoming games and take part in other events.

"The feedback we heard was clear--they wanted to play the games inside the convention center. In addition, exhibitors inside the convention center wanted to have access to the fans. So this year we're bringing the two together," the ESA's senior VP of communications, Rich Taylor, told GameSpot

"It's a changing industry, and E3 has always evolved to meet industry needs and anticipate where we’re heading together--as an event, as an industry, and as fans. The decision to open our doors to 15,000 fans was a strategic decision. It is thanks to our members and their vision and leadership that made this possible. We have a model that allows the business of the industry to continue for our business and media attendees and provides an opportunity for video games' biggest fans to experience the latest in innovative, immersive entertainment."

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[BlueFox gui]

I always wanted to go, maybe one day I would go to E3

 

[Temarile]

Too bad I can't just fly to the US for a convention. It's awesome that they did that though, I really liked Gamescom.

 

[FAST6191]

"It's a changing industry, and E3 has always evolved to meet industry needs and anticipate where we’re heading together"
translation
"oh fuck all these pubs and devs are doing their own thing, we need a thing to stay relevant"

Wonder what this will do to the hotel situation though.

 

[H1B1Esquire]

Damn...strategic with Switch releasing a couple weeks after. Good thing you can watch the E3 stream on your Switch....oh wait.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Wonder what this will do to the hotel situation though.

This. Good luck finding a hotel anywhere near the convention center. It's bad enough when it was just reporters who bought tickets, I can't imagine how terrible it'll be now that anyone can head to the convention.

 

[Chary]

As someone who went to E3, I'm kinda miffed at this. It was crowded enough with all the reporters and media people scattered about. Now, there's going to be a lot more people in the lines being crazy, so they'll need more security. That also gets in the way of the press doing its job, since regular attendees will be taking up all the non-interview related queues. My favorite part of E3 was just mingling in the booths with the people from each company. Probably won't be able to do that now.

This. Good luck finding a hotel anywhere near the convention center. It's bad enough when it was just reporters who bought tickets, I can't imagine how terrible it'll be now that anyone can head to the convention.

Wonder what this will do to the hotel situation though.

For the most part, reporters buy at a specific discounted hotel that's right by the convention center, so they probably won't be competing too much for hotels with the general public. If someone's shelling out 250 bucks, along with a plane ticket ride, they'd be best off getting a hotel somewhere nearby, like in Pasadena, along with a rental car for 3 days. That'd be cheaper than a downtown LA hotel 3 night stay.

Either way, this will definitely generate more money for the ESA, which is their main goal. Ah well.

 

[WiiUBricker]

Wasn't E3 at one point open to the public?

 

[Noctosphere]

i really wish i could fly there
unfortunately, i cant afford it

 

[YayMii]

Wasn't E3 at one point open to the public?

Yeah, I'm remember E for All being a thing instead of E3 for a few years... I thought there was a reason they closed themselves off again?

 

[grossaffe]

Is E3 even interesting anymore?

 

[Imacaredformy2ds]

Whoooo boy
I think I know where my life savings are going.
R.I.P my wallet

 

[Deleted User]

It's about time

 

[xile6]

Always wanted to go buy damn thats to pricey for me. Then i gotta fly put there and what not. Maybe one day

 

[Hells Malice]

Way too crowded to ever be fun to go to like that.
It always looks like a fucking shitshow even with just non-general public attendees.

 

[keven3477]

Wish I could go, I live nearby so I don't have to worry about travel but I cant justify 250$ just to look at upcoming game news.

 

[Costello]

captain obvious here but to me the most interesting part of E3 are the pre-show conferences, and these will certainly not be open to the public (again for obvious reasons) so this isn't really a big deal

that being said, I would still like to be able to go once in my life

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

As someone who went to E3, I'm kinda miffed at this. It was crowded enough with all the reporters and media people scattered about. Now, there's going to be a lot more people in the lines being crazy, so they'll need more security. That also gets in the way of the press doing its job, since regular attendees will be taking up all the non-interview related queues. My favorite part of E3 was just mingling in the booths with the people from each company. Probably won't be able to do that now.

Not to mention last year the rumors of dumping Zelda breath of the wild, now people just my be having more complex trouble, with thiefs stealing some products up for display. Then it won't ever happen again, good buy "Another privlaged taken away from innocent people."

 

[Xzi]

I'd rather have it covered for me by the tons of press from the comfort of my own home than fly to LA just to feel like a canned sardine for a few days. Nice for people who can handle that kind of traffic and concentration of humanity, I suppose.

 

[SonicCloud]

I wish i could go , but not even selling my kidney would be enough to be there :c