Inside: E3 2005 celeb event announced

BPM magazine, Video Game TV Management and Relentless Media have announced plans for the first annual Inside: E3 2005, an industry party taking place on May 18 at Hollywood hotspot Avalon.

Best Buy are the main sponsors of the event, while other sponsors include Vivendi-Universal Games, who will premiere trailers for Scarface and 50 Cent: Bulletproof at the event. In addition, attendees will be able to try their hands at Vivendi titles Black Hawk Down, Hulk 2 and Flat Out.

NCsoft, also sponsoring, will showcase massively multiplayer online games Auto Assault, Guild Wars and City of Villains. Other sponsors include Namco and Nyko.

Music will be provided by grammy award-winning artist Deep Dish, DJ Carlos of Interpol, Mark Ronson, DJ AM and DJ Vice. There will also be entertainment from Mutaytor, a performance art ensemble made up of musicians, aerial acrobats and fire-eaters described as "Cirque De Soleil meets Blue Man."

The event will also play host to the finals of Best Buy's Electronic Gaming Competition, with Southern California's top amateur gamers battling it out on Halo 2, Tekken 5, Unreal Tournament and Madden 2005, and plenty of "Hollywood celebrities" are expected to attend.

"With video game revenues surpassing theatrical film box office three years running, our vision was to provide a unique opportunity for celebrities involved with videogames, and those who want to be involved, to rub shoulders with videogame execs and the industry," said Relentless Media's Jamie Allen.

Stephen Roves of VGTVM added: "INSIDE: E3 2005 is the party ticket to the coolest aspects of the videogame industry.

"It's about the future where videogames continue their move to Hollywood and the worlds of technology, music, celebrities and interactive art converge to create truly-engrossing entertainment experiences."