It’s hard to imagine a world in which E3 does not exist. The E3 Media and Business Summit, formerly known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, has been held every summer since 1995, giving developers and publishers a place to show off their upcoming products. Many memorable announcements have been made at E3 over the years, and avid gamers follow coverage of the show closely, hoping for some exciting gaming news. Before E3, there was only CES, or the International Consumer Electronics Show. CES showcased a broad range of electronics, but in the early 1990s, the presence of video game-related items rose, which led to the need for a trade show focused entirely on electronic entertainment.

In 1995, the Interactive Digital Software Association (now known as the ESA) split from CES and formed E3. The very first Electronic Entertainment Expo was held on May 11-13 of that year, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California. This was perfect timing, as a new generation of video game consoles was about to begin. At the time, the two major console publishers were Sega and Nintendo, though Sony’s PlayStation was due to launch later that year, and the PS1 had a strong E3 1995 showing. The same can’t be said for the other two publishers.



Sega’s ill-fated Saturn, like the PlayStation, was set to launch in September 1995 in North America. However, at E3, Sega president Tom Kalinske announced the now-infamous “surprise attack” on Sony and the PlayStation. Instead of coming out in September, Kalinske announced that the Saturn would go on sale in North America immediately at a whopping $399 price point, which came as a shock to both customers and retailers. The announcement and surprise launch backfired in a big way, especially with Sony announcing later at E3 that the PlayStation would debut at $299. The PS1 went on to be an overwhelming success, cementing Sony’s place in the console industry, while the Saturn was discontinued in North America in 1998, only three years after launching. The Saturn was seen by some as the beginning of the end for Sega, and the company ended up losing $267.9 million and 30% of its workforce because of the Saturn’s failure.

The Saturn wasn’t the only doomed system on display at E3 1995, though. Nintendo, still a year away from launching the Nintendo 64 (known then as the Ultra 64), came to the party with a different system: the Virtual Boy. While this didn’t lead to E3 closing early due to a massive outbreak of headaches like you might expect, the Virtual Boy (which launched in the summer of 1995) went on to be Nintendo’s only failed system. Meanwhile, Atari had its Jaguar CD on display, even though the Jaguar was already on its way out, causing Atari to leave the console business forever.



As you would probably expect, many games were on display at E3 1995, including such memorable gems as Judge Dredd and Batman Forever. Attendees also got a look at future classics like Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Tekken, Ridge Racer, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Rayman, as well as one of my PS1 favorites, Blazing Dragons. Sony actually spent four million dollars on their first E3 booth to properly show off the PlayStation and its first wave of games, which ended up being a solid investment in the PlayStation’s future. Of course, Nintendo would come back in a big way the following year with the N64 and Super Mario 64, but at the first E3, Sony reigned supreme.

The XBAND modem, presented by Catapult Entertainment, was featured at E3 1995, and is now seen as a precursor to modern online gaming. The XBAND created an online gaming network for the Sega Genesis and Super NES, though it came with a pesky monthly fee and long distance charges. While revolutionary at the time, XBAND soon proved to be impractical and was disbanded in 1997. However, its influence remains, as online gaming is a huge part of the industry in this day and age.



In May 1995, I was barely twelve years old, and I would go on to read about all of the details from the first E3 several weeks later in GamePro (which I read cover to cover every month from elementary school until I left for college). E3 seemed to be completely awesome, a utopia for gamers, and I dreamed of going someday. Less than one month from today, I will be attending my very first E3, making that dream come true after more than half my life. I couldn’t be more excited. The announcements made next month may not live in infamy like some of those from 1995, but I can’t wait to experience it for myself.

[Sources: gamezero, joystiq, ugo, wikipedia]