For the first time ever, the Electronic Entertainment Expo will be offering tickets to the general public.
The official E3 twitter announced this morning that this year’s event will offer “consumer passes”, which will be available for purchase by the general public.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which puts on the event every year, will begin selling these consumer passes on February 13. The first 1,000 tickets sold will cost $149, with the next 14,000 going for $249.
While E3 has traditionally been a closed event for only industry professionals and select media, there has been a push for some time now to make the event open to the public. Last year, as a sort of test-run, the ESA held its E3 Live event, which was open to the public and free to attend. The event took place just outside the doors of the LA Convention Center, inside which the “real” E3 was occurring, and offered guests playable game demos, fan meet-and-greets, and more.
In an interview with Gamespot, ESA Senior VP Rich Taylor explains how the success of E3 Live in 2016 led to this year’s decision to offer consumer passes:
The feedback we heard was clear–they wanted to play the games inside the convention center. In addition, exhibitors inside the convention center wanted to have access to the fans. So this year we’re bringing the two together.
It’s a changing industry, and E3 has always evolved to meet industry needs and anticipate where we’re heading together–as an event, as an industry, and as fans. The decision to open our doors to 15,000 fans was a strategic decision. It is thanks to our members and their vision and leadership that made this possible. We have a model that allows the business of the industry to continue for our business and media attendees and provides an opportunity for video games’ biggest fans to experience the latest in innovative, immersive entertainment.
E3 2017 will still offer business passes, giving industry professionals preferred entry to the convention center and access to private business lounges.
The event will take place in the Los Angeles Convention Center, June 13-15.