Three more years of E3 in L.A. – that’s how it looks like as the Entertainment Software Association has committed to keeping the E3, or Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles till 2015.

“We are proud to partner with Los Angeles for another three years, said ESA head Michael Gallagher in a statement. “The City serves as a strong backdrop for the video game industry’s biggest announcements and we look forward to remaining in LA. Video games are a dominant force in the global entertainment marketplace and there is no better place to display that than Los Angeles. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the City and (construction firm) AEG.”

Last month, there was a bit of an impasse involving the ESA and AEG’s possible construction of the Farmers Field football stadium on Los Angeles Convention Center property.  As this would have posed a potential threat to E3 activities, the ESA was this close to moving to Chicago, New Orleans, New York or San Francisco had they not gotten assurance the stadium’s construction would not interfere with E3.  And fortunately, they’ve gotten it, with AEG promising to put a stop to construction while E3 is ongoing.  Next year’s E3 will run from June 11 to June 13, 2013 at its familiar haunt, the L.A. Convention Center.  (It’s also worth mentioning that the L.A. City Council hasn’t even approved AEG’s construction proposal yet.)

Sounds like a win-win situation for gaming companies and sports fans alike.  While L.A. can focus on luring professional football back to the city through the stadium’s construction, video game fanatics can return to a place they have come to know and love, to say little about the glitz and glamour of the city.  Furthermore, E3 in L.A. has become a yearly tradition – save for the lean and mean 2007 event in Santa Monica, Los Angeles has hosted every E3 since 1999 without fail.

.......................................................

•