LucasArts Joins Exodus From ESA

It just doesn’t get easier for the ESA, the body that calls itself the “pre-eminent voice of the video and computer game industry” (and who also happens to put on the embattled and highly criticized Electronic Entertainment Expo).

The wheels are now falling off the membership cart, with mammoth publishers Activision and Vivendi (soon to be one huge conglomerate) bluntly stating this month that they wouldn’t be renewing their membership with the organization, nor would the be attending the much scaled down E3. Other companies, like MMO giant NCSoft and Foundation 9, have confirmed that they will not be attending E3

Now LucasArts has gotten off the bus as well, saying that it also would not be renewing it’s membership, but that it still planned on attending E3. In response, the ESA attempted a rather laughable go at resting on their laurels and the internal propoganda that they like to circulate between departments to improve moral. “We are important, we are important!”

In the words of ESA’s Rich Taylor:

“Since its creation in 1994, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has grown and evolved into the pre-eminent voice of the video and computer game industry. The organization has 25 members, including three companies that were welcomed last year. Today, we can confirm that one of our members, LucasArts, has decided not to renew its membership. We value each member of our association, but respect the unique factors that led to LucasArts’ decision. Last year was a record year for an industry which is becoming an increasingly important part of the nation’s social, cultural and economic landscape. We are confident the industry will continue to thrive and ESA will continue to create a beneficial environment for the entire entertainment software industry.”

The poor ESA can’t seem to do much to end this downward spiral. They keep issuing puffy-chested press releases to make themselves feel better, but the fact of the matter is that their decision to down-grade E3 in 2006, combined with a very sharp media spotlight on the association, has mortally wounded a once omnipotent part of the gaming industry.

Image Courtesy of LucasArts