The list of major game studios pulling out of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) show floor continues to grow, as two more developers have said that they will not be operating booths at the event.

The first major game company to announce that it would not have a show floor presence this year was Electronic Arts Inc, and it was recently joined by Activision Blizzard Inc, which said on its website that it is “proud to be participating in this premier video game event (E3), but won’t have an Activision booth on the show floor.”

Now it seems that both Disney Interactive Studios Inc and World of Tanks developer Wargaming Public Co Ltd have also announced that they will not have a presence on the E3 show floor this year, but the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which organizes E3, does not seem to be worried by the news.

“Individual companies will make their own decisions in each iteration of E3,” Rich Taylor, senior vice president of communications at the ESA, said in an interview with GamesBeat. “Overall, E3 for the past several years as been among the best shows we have ever experienced. E3 remains a dynamic and valuable and preeminent show of its kind in the world for video games, entertainment, and innovation. It’s still the place to be.”

While many E3 participants may be disappointed that they will not get the chance for a hands-on experience from the studios that have pulled out of the show floor, the move will likely have little impact on the public perception of E3, which is mostly centered on the announcements made during the convention’s major press conferences, of which there are still plenty.

Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard, for example, will both still have a presence at E3’s presentations, and of course they will still be joined by a number of other major publishers and game creators, including PlayStation, Xbox, Bethesda Softworks, and others.

“We have a record number of press briefings this year in the ramp to opening the show,” Taylor said. “That’s an indicator that folks recognize how valuable a launch pad it is. Being a part of E3 adds rocket fuel to the attention and eyeballs and interest and visibility of new titles and hardware and innovations that our industry produces each and every year. E3 is a strong, critical, and integral part of our video game ecosystem.”

Photo by Aranami