As game makers try new tactics, a turning point for E3

Outside the Los Angeles Convention Center, an imposing 60-foot-tall structure is being erected that may symbolize a shift happening with the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the interactive industry's annual extravaganza expected to draw more than 50,000 invite-only attendees next week.

[...] with the rise of social media and streaming video, publishers' focus has steadily shifted away from the store managers and bloggers in attendance to the gamers following all the action online.

Disney Interactive, Wargaming, Electronic Arts and Activision are among past E3 exhibitors that are either forgoing the three-day expo altogether or opting to host separate events held outside the Los Angeles Convention Center's sprawling show floor.

"Star Wars Battlefront" and "Mass Effect" publisher Electronic Arts is trading its long-standing, ear-splitting booth at the entrance of E3's main hall for its own fan fest across the street near E3 Live.

[...] the publisher will do so at other publishers' outposts, behind closed doors in Convention Center meeting rooms and at its own "Call of Duty XP" event in September.

Gallagher of the ESA noted that while many traditional console and PC game publishers have abandon the boisterous show floor, those spaces are being filled by mobile, virtual reality and augmented reality game makers.

Microsoft and Sony have respectively planned press conferences Monday at the University of Southern California's Galen Center and the Shrine Auditorium, as well as booths showcasing titles like "Gears of War 4" and "Horizon Zero Dawn."