Editing E3 (section)

===1995–2006: Growth and success through first decade===
[[File:LA Conference Centre E3 2005.jpg|250px|thumb|right|[[Los Angeles Convention Center]] during E3 2005, with an [[Atari]] banner hanging over the South Hall lobby]]
The [[E3 1995|first event]] was held from May 11–13, 1995 at the [[Los Angeles Convention Center]], which would generally be the convention's location in future years.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 1995 |title=E3 Replaces Summer CES |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/5/5d/GamePro_US_066.pdf |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=IDG |issue=76 |page=211 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116230507/https://retrocdn.net/images/5/5d/GamePro_US_066.pdf |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The organizers were unsure of how successful this would be, but by the end of the convention, they had booked most of the space at the Convention Center, and saw more than 40,000 attendees.<ref name="engadget history"/> In the aftermath of its first year, E3 was already regarded as the biggest event in the video game industry.<ref name="gameproe3">{{cite magazine |date=June 1996 |title=Sneak Previews |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_093_Volume_08_Number_06_1996-06_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n29/mode/2up |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=IDG |issue=93 |page=28}}</ref> The IDSA realized the strength of a debut trade show, and subsequently renegotiated with IDG to allow the IDSA to take full ownership of the show and the intellectual property associated with the name, while hiring IDG to help with execution of the event.<ref name="engadget history"/> During this E3, Sega had introduced the [[Sega Saturn]], priced at $399. Sony also introduced the first [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation console]], with Sony Computer Entertainment North America's president Steve Race came on stage during their press event to simply say "$299" before leaving the stage to applause. The surprise undercutting price had a significant impact on Sega and the current [[console war]] between Sega, Sony, and Nintendo. From then on, E3 was seen to play  a major part in other console wars, with journalists reporting on which manufacturer "won" E3 based on their product offerings. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/the-life-and-death-of-e3 | title=The life and death of E3 | date=June 5, 2024 }}</ref>

In 1996, IDG and the IDSA tried a Japanese version of E3, in preparation for a worldwide series of events, at the [[Makuhari Messe]] in Tokyo (as E3 Tokyo '96) in association with [[TV Asahi]]. Although [[Sony Computer Entertainment]] was the show's original sponsor, the company withdrew its support in favor of its PlayStation Expo. [[Sega]] then pulled out at the last minute, leaving [[Nintendo]] the only big-three company to appear. Held November 1–4, 1996, the presence of several other gaming expos and lack of support from Japanese game manufacturers led to reportedly poor turnout<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 1997 |title=PlayStation Expo: Sony Shows Off in Japan |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_25/page/n15/mode/2up |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=25 |page=16 |quote=And as for next-door's E3 Tokyo? Sad and tiny. ''Assault Suit Lynos 2'' was the biggest stand-out in a sea of mediocre edutainment and ''Myst'' clones.}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=February 1997 |title=Sony PlayStation Expo '96 |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_101_Volume_09_Number_02_1997-02_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n45/mode/2up |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=IDG |issue=101 |pages=44–45 |quote=E3 Tokyo attracted just 30,000 visitors with its mostly edutainment-oriented mix of software. PS Expo, on the other hand, played host to 54,000 PlayStation faithful!}}</ref> and rumored E3 events in Singapore and Canada did not take place.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/article/961105/rumor1.htm |title=任天堂もSEGAもSONYもいないE3/Tokyo'96 |publisher=PC Watch |date=November 1, 1996 |access-date=April 12, 2011 |archive-date=June 5, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030605075751/http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/article/961105/rumor1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Due to failed negotiations for the convention space in Los Angeles, the E3 conventions in 1997 and 1998 were held at the [[Georgia World Congress Center]] in Atlanta, Georgia.<ref name="gamespot e3">{{cite web |last1=Varanini |first1=Giancarlo |title=E3: Past, Present, and Future |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-past-present-and-future/1100-6210423/ |publisher=Gamespot |access-date=June 16, 2016 |archive-date=May 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510051024/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-past-present-and-future/1100-6210423/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2010/06/03/playstation-at-e3-1997/ |title=PlayStation at E3: 1997 |first=James |last=Gallager |date=June 3, 2010 |access-date=May 9, 2017 |work=[[PlayStation Blog]] |archive-date=November 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112022435/https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2010/06/03/playstation-at-e3-1997/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Turnout at these shows was dramatically lower than at the first two E3s, which has been attributed to a declining number of game developers and the fact that many video game companies were based on the West Coast, making the cost of sending staff and equipment to Atlanta prohibitive.<ref name="GPro108">{{cite magazine |date=September 1997 |title=E3 Attendance Drops |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_108_Volume_09_Number_09_1997-09_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n23/mode/2up |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |issue=108 |page=22}}</ref> The show returned to the Los Angeles Convention Center in 1999, and continued to grow in attendance, ranging from 60,000 to 70,000 attendees.<ref name="engadget history"/>

In addition to the event, E3 started to support (or became associated with) several websites. One was E365, introduced in 2006,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://e3expo.leveragesoftware.com/ |title=E365 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013142032/http://e3expo.leveragesoftware.com/ |archive-date=October 13, 2007}}</ref> an online community which attendees used to network and schedule meetings.