Will Wright, a bona fide gaming celebrity and the creative mastermind behind the upcoming Spore, thinks we have seen the end of E3, and labels the current show as little more than "the walking dead."

In a recent interview, Wright claims he understands why E3 has changed so much, but he still thinks that what we’ve been left with is a shell of a trade show, one which is on the verge of losing its status as the industry’s most important event. According to Wright:

"It almost feels like a zombie at this point; it’s the walking dead. It’s such an abrupt end to what was E3, which had been this huge escalating arms race.

"I understand why they really pulled the plug on the big E3. Looking at the amount of money a company like EA would spend on it, it was ridiculous amounts of money just to be present and competitive with everyone else, so I think they were looking for a way to sign the arms treaty and de-escalate the whole thing.

"Right now we’re in this kind of dicey, ’Do we have an event, what event is it, which one do we go to?’ I think we’re in an uncomfortable transition zone when really the real E3 died a couple of years ago."

Even though the ESA promises that the show will go on next year, it is becoming clear that developers and publishers are going to be demanding big changes in order to stay plugged into the event. Whether we return to the "old" E3 or not, it is clear that the "new" E3 isn’t working, and some changes must be in store if the event is to continue to have the draw and allure of years past.