E3 needs "excitement" of Leipzig - Ed Boon

Midway's Ed Boon has become the latest high profile industry figure to enter into the debate over the future of E3, arguing that the US showcase must invite consumers to match the "excitement" of Germany's Games Convention.

With last month's pared down Los Angeles event drawing unprecedented criticism from all sides of the industry, the focus has now shifted onto the increasingly prominent European event held in Leipzig, which runs from August 20-24.

And Boon, creator of the Mortal Kombat series, believes Games Convention's formula now offers the best chance for the survival of E3, with the Entertainment Software Association-run expo reduced to a shadow of its former self.

"From a developer's point of view, E3 has always been a lot of work, but at same time a fun spectacle," said Boon, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz last month at a Midway product showcase in San Diego.

"It was something we would look at and get excited about because you see the competition's games - and when you see all that stuff you walk away excited about the industry. I didn't get that this year...There wasn't the glitz of it all, the spectacle, the conversations you and I would have about 'oh, you gotta go see Rock Band 2, you gotta go see God of War 3' - that doesn't really exist that much, and I do miss that part of it."

Boon added that his disappointment with this year's E3 had prompted him to see for the first time the need for "adding consumers" to the trade-only event, praising the success of Europe's leading games event.

"To me there's excitement [at Leipzig]. When you see people, and where the crowds are going, I think you get a good pulse as to what's exciting in those shows. That's a good element that could be added to E3 to accommodate that."