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May
2001
In
this issue Jay Powell of Octagon Entertainment answers
questions on what to expect from E3. Take it away, Jay...
 Q:
Hi Jay, I manage a small development studio
headed to E3 for the first time. We've managed to
book meetings with some of the big publishers in the
industry and I wondered what to expect from the meetings.
A:
E3 meetings can be like no other you ever do.
When you are planning a roadshow, or a publisher is
coming to visit, you know you will have their full
attention for a few hours. At E3 this is
completely different. Most meetings are booked for
30 minutes, are rare few for 1 hour. The meetings
will generally start late and end early as previous
meetings have run longer and one of you will need to
leave for your next meeting. Count on a good 10
minutes to make your pitch and impress the publisher.
If you are showing a demo, make sure that it shows the
USP's of your game. If you don't have a full demo
to show, make sure you show your technology to the
publisher in an avi or another format. With the
emergence of the new consoles, technology is driving
many deals. If you have the newest, hottest
thing... show it off!!!
Most importantly you should get the selling points of
your team and your title across in a quick concise
manner. Use your time with the publisher
efficiently and make sure you follow up.
Jay
Q:
Hey Jay, our
entire team is going to E3 this year for the first time
and we would like to know what to expect. Should
we be meeting with publishers?
A:
Chances are that
if you have not secured meeting times with publishers at
this point it will be very hard to do so. Do not
fret, publisher meetings are great, but E3 is not always
the time for them. E3's main premise is for the
retailers and media, the truth is that very few deals
are done at the show between publishers and developers.
It's a great time to meet up with people you have only
spoken with by email and phone though. I would use the
show to see what the publishers are showing and see how
your game sizes up to what is on the floor. You can
learn an awful lot by just strolling around and playing
the games. Go to the booths of the various publishers
and see what they are showing. This will give you a good
idea of the genres and platforms they are supporting and
whether or not your game will fit in to their line. Stop
by the reception desks and pick up business cards for
the people who evaluate new games. Play the
competition's games and ask the attendants about the
games. Find out how the graphics, gameplay, and features
stack up to your game. When you return from the show,
use the information you gathered to create an evaluation
package for your game and submit it to the publishers.
Hey! Have fun! It's E3!
Jay
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