E3 attendance figures down by 10,000 from last year

The Entertainment Software Association, organiser of the E3 Expo, has announced that more than 60,000 industry professionals attended this year's event.

That's a drop of around 10,000 over last year's figures - according to the ESA, a record 70,000 attendees were at E3 2005. However, last year's show was widely considered as being overcrowded and steps were taken to ensure that only qualified members of the games industry were in attendance this time.

Big announcements at this year's event included Sony's unveiling of a price point and release date for the PS3, and Microsoft's revelation that Grand Theft Auto IV is coming to Xbox 360. Nintendo confirmed that the Wii console will launch in the fourth quarter of this year and revealed more of the remote controller and connectivity plans.

"E3 Expo is the one and only venue where all of the world's leading interactive entertainment companies convene to launch the industry's next evolution," said ESA president Doug Lowenstein.

"E3 Expo remains the most important gathering of interactive entertainment industry professionals on the planet, offering attendees unparalleled networking and business opportunities."

E3 2007 is set to take place in LA from May 16th - May 18th.