Confirmed: IDG Scraps E For All Expo For 2009

Just days after the Entertainment Software Association confirmed that the annual E3 expo would be returning to something like its pre-2007 scale, convention organizers IDG World Expo have apparently announced that would-be rival event E For All has been scrapped. Originally billed as a successor of sorts to E3 after its 2007 downsizing, E for All’s two annual events have been held at the same Los Angeles Convention Center as E3. Unlike E3, though, the events took place in early October and were fully open to the public. The expo has struggled to find wide acceptance -- the last event saw only 15,000 visitors. This compares to upwards of 60,000 at E3’s peak -- when it was only open to those within the games industry. The indication of the show's potential scrapping comes as a brief statement sourced by BigDownload.com and attributed to division CEO Mary Dolaher, which reads: "We want to thank all of our E for All partners for their support, and we encourage E for All exhibitors to participate in the E3 new event, which we believe will meet their needs as well as those of the industry at large." "IDG World Expo is very pleased to be partnering with the ESA on E3 and continuing to play a central role in that important industry event. We look forward to furthering our contribution to the success of the video game community”, continues the statement. IDG World Expo has already confirmed their involvement in E3 2009, with the ESA stating that it would work with them to co-produce the event. IDG World Expo has operated E3 since the first event in 1995. [UPDATE: Game weblog Joystiq has reached an IDG representative, who confirms: "Unfortunately, E for All will not be occurring in 2009, as our focus now turns to E3."]