ESA has announced that this year’s E3 attendance accumulated a total of 68,400 people. This figure surpasses the 52,000 total of 2015, which was previously the hallmark record. 2016 saw a small attendance drop to 50,300.
E3 2017 was host to more than 2,000 products and 293 exhibitors, 120 of which were virtual reality related.
This surge of attendance is attributed to the newly introduced expo pass, which was available to anyone interested for a modest fee. 15,000 of these tickets were sold.
Although this is considered a success for the ESA, it has impacted the attendee experience. Overcrowding was a problem at many booths, which had lines surpassing three hours in length. During day one this attendance also created long entry delays, which affected press and regular attendees alike.
Nonetheless, the growth of E3 has secured its spot as the gaming industries premier gaming convention, where it is looked upon as the best place for developers to make announcements.
