IDG World Expo’s Entertainment for All (E for All) Expo opens on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The event is aimed at casual and hardcore gamers alike looking to get their hands on the latest games and gaming hardware.
The event, born in the wake of the dissolution of the annual E3 Expo, is, unlike E3, aimed directly at the public. E3 was limited specifically to industry insiders, but the public is welcome to attend E for All, with ticket prices starting at $50. The event runs over four days, Thursday through Sunday.
E for All Expo will feature an exhibit hall where vendors will be showing off new and upcoming games for PC, console and mobile systems. Nintendo will be showing off Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast, for example, and Activision will show off Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. EA will have The Simpson Game, Rock Band and Medal of Honor Heroes on display, while THQ will be showing of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008. Konami will show Metal Gear Solid 4.
Major League Gaming will be present; the pro video game competition will feature tournaments for the Halo trilogy, NBA Live, Gears of War, Shadowrun and others, and will also feature “Get Better First” training camps specifically for Halo 3.
Other events include Guitar Hero II competitions, a showdown between NBA stars Corey Maggette and Derek Fisher, who will also go tete-a-tete with pro gamer Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel.
Visitors will also have a chance to vote for their favorite games and game gear using cell phones in the People’s Choice awards, game developer events are planned, industry research will be presented, along with an art show (“Into the Pixel,” featuring the work of game artists) and a live concert (Video Games Live).
IDG World Expo and Macworld publisher Mac Publishing are both owned by International Data Group (IDG).