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E3 will be open to the public this year, sort of

This year E3 will have a side-event called E3 Live at the same time as the proper show. This free event will allow interested gamers to check out demos of some of the latest upcoming games.
By
May 23, 2016
E3-live

Throughout my childhood, E3 was sort of like a special holiday. It was that time of the year that we’d learn about all the new hotness, from new games to new accessories, and even brand new game consoles. Of course, back then, most of the announcements from E3 reached me via July “E3 editions” of the Electronic Gamer Monthly magazine. That’s because, for one thing, I did not have easy Internet access during the stone age of my youth. The second reason was that going to E3 was a privilege reserved only for the media and others actively involved in the gaming industry. That latter point has continued to stick around, until this year.

Okay, E3 itself is still an industry only event, but a new side-event dubbed E3 Live will take place the very same day as the proper E3 event and is designed for average Joe and Jane gamers. E3 Live will take place just steps from the main convention center and tickets are available for free on a first come, first serve basis. At this side event gamers (age 17, up) will get the chance to play with all the latest upcoming releases, interact with other fans, and other course buy gaming memorabilia.

While the full list of companies that will be present at E3 Live has yet to be released, the following have already confirmed their presence:

  • Alienware
  • Facebook/Oculus
  • Frito-Lay
  • HTC Vive
  • Loot Crate
  • Monster
  • Twitch
  • Ubisoft
  • Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment

We live in a world where getting the latest gaming news as it hits is super easy, and even playing alpha and beta games ahead of release is becoming an increasingly common practice. It’s partially for this reason that E3 has slowly seen a drop off in the number of companies participating, but events like E3 Live may attract new audiences that don’t just want to be evolved remotely — they want to experience it in person.

It remains unseen whether that will be enough to attract back companies like Activision and EA in the future – both who are sitting it out this year, but it’s still a welcome change after years of shutting the public out. For more details on attending E3 Live, you’ll want to head over here. 

How about it? Anyone interested in attending E3 Live this year? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments. If you can’t make it, the good news is that Android Authority will be on the scene again this year, as well as its new sister site, VR Source!