2006 may well be remembered for a lot of gaming high points, but one particularly sad low point that will be forever marked in history is the demise of E3, everyone journo’s favourite excuse to ‘swag up’ and play all the latest games while creating deadline excuses and pretending to work. Though, we’re sure some attendees actually worked during E3—yeah, right.

However, those inconsolable media hacks still wandering around aimlessly in a state of mourning can throw off their morbid black clobber and celebrate because the hype of E3 is back! Albeit with a different name.

While the revamped, scaled down, invitation-only, and boringly titled E3 Media and Business Summit will still exist as the ‘official’ yawn-inducing reinterpretation of the old E3, as of October 2007, the LA Convention Center will now also be home to GamePro Expo. That’s got a much better and relaxed ring to it, eh?

Yep, start booking flights and hotels in advance, because the International Data Group (IDG), which publishes and produces a ton of tech-related magazine and trade shows (including GamePro magazine—naturally) will be putting on the replacement E3 in mid-October of next year.

"I am absolutely convinced this show will be as big as [the now departed] E3," commented Michael Krouse, VP of convention sales for the LA Convention and Visitors Bureau, when talking to GameSpot. Furthermore, apart from IDG guesstimating that the inaugural event will attract an initial 30,000 international attendees, and GamePro Expo also being endorsed by the ESA, the three-day event will exude that familiar E3 feel through trade show, consumer, and competition aspects galore.

Rumours are presently rife concerning emergent publisher support for GamePro Expo, and, as the Consumer Electronics Association has this week revealed it will not be holding a games trade show in 2007, expect that support to arrive en masse over the coming weeks.