Matt Martin 14:40 (BST)
18/07/2008

A number of top execs have joined the growing chorus of industry professionals questioning the importance and relevance of the E3 Media & Business Summit.

CEO of EA, John Riccitiello, has slammed the event, as has Laurent Detoc, Ubisoft's American president who described the show as "terrible."

"I hate E3 like this," said Riccitiello, speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Either we need to go back to the old E3, or we'll have to have our own private events."

Detoc was equally blunt, bemoaning the poor turnout.

"E3 this year is terrible. The world used to come to E3. Now it's like a pipe-fitters show in the basement," he declared.

Yesterday, Ubisoft's Alain Corre told GamesIndustry.biz that the show is being held at the wrong time of year and in the wrong location.

"It's one milestone in the communication of your products throughout the year, and it's important because it's the ramp-up for Christmas," he said. "[But] E3 here, mid-July, in the Convention Center in downtown LA - it's not appropriate I would say."

This year's keynote speaker, Texas governor Rick Perry, delivered his speech to less than 20 people in a 1000-seat venue.

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has said that the event is no longer the place to show titles for the dedicated games consumer, and the show is more suited to communicate new concepts to a broader audience.

Following the downsizing of the event from previous years, ESA president Mike Gallagher has promised to tweak the event once again next year.

This year saw E3 return to the LA Convention Centre, but instead of the 60,000 people who once attended the event in its prime, the media were limited to around 5,000 attendees.