E3 reels in 70,300 to gaming’s biggest tradeshow in North America

E3 had more empty spaces than it did in the past. But it was a bust as skeptics believed.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today that more than 70,300 people participated in the week’s events for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3),

The number includes 50,300 video game professionals, analysts, journalists, and enthusiasts who attended the trade show on the convention floor, plus another 20,000 fans who attended the nearby demo festival at E3 Live.

All told, more than 250 exhibitors displayed more than 1,600 products. The ESA, the trade group that represents the game industry, also revealed that E3 will take place June 13-15, 2017 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“Gamers were the winners at E3 this year. The advancements in technology unveiled at E3 will redefine entertainment for the world,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA, in a statement. “The innovation and creativity on display will propel our industry to new heights and expand opportunities for remarkable growth.”

The ESA said taht E3 broke records for social media numbers across all channels, with more than seven million posts on Twitter alone. Instagram had more than 500,000 likes on E3-related posts this month. In addition, more than 42 million gamers watched E3 content on Twitch, the official streaming partner of E3. The Twitch viewership was the highest of any video game convention broadcast on the network.

Before the show, there were a lot of skeptics. Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Disney, and Wargaming all pulled their booths out. And there were a lot of empty spaces in the back of the West Hall and parts of the South Hall of the convention center. But there were also a lot of events nearby, including a Bethesda press and fan event on Sunday night and the EA Play fan event in LA Live. Those events drew thousands of fans, and aren’t part of the official count.