Earlier this year, the Entertainment Software Association moved to open the doors of its annual E3 trade show to the masses by offering 15,000 tickets to the general public. As a follow up to that major change, the ESA has also opted to allow E3 exhibitors to sell merchandise right from the show floor itself.
According to Shacknews, exhibitors will be able to sell games, hardware, and other products from their booths on the show floor during this year’s E3, given they fill out a form and follow instructions provided by event organizers ahead of time.
The decision to open E3 to the general public was previously described by ESA senior vice president of communication Rich Taylor as an evolution to meet the needs of both the video game industry and fans. This latest change to the trade show seems to be a reflection of that same sentiment.
“[E3 Live showed that fans] wanted to play the games inside the convention center,” explained Taylor in a statement earlier this year. “In addition, exhibitors inside the convention center wanted to have access to the fans. So this year we're bringing the two together.”