ESA to downsize E3? on GameSpot (thanks Frans) quotes "informed industry sources" (IIS) in reporting that the ESA is planning drastic changes to the structure and scope of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. According to their IIS, the annual show will move from the LA Convention Center to a smaller venue, and will serve a smaller group of attendees in a series of meeting room conferences, rather than the open floor event it has been. GameSpot notes that one of their IIS thinks the changes will result in a more productive environment, which is hard to disagree with, though I always enjoyed the chaos of the show floor. They also point out that there is a financial motivation to cutting down on the showy part of the show, which has indeed always been strikingly extravagant, but they also speculate it may force smaller companies to seek alternate promotional opportunities. They say an official announcement about this will come tomorrow. In a more drastic take on the rumors, Next Generation has busted out the caps lock in declaring "EXCLUSIVE: E3 FINISHED" (thanks StrategyCore) saying any coming announcement of a smaller event is damage control, but that the real story here is that E3 is ostensibly dead. They say an official announcement is likely over the next 48 hours.