The process of sending out the now coveted press invitations to E3, the best-known conference for gaming in the western world, has begun. The show will be going down on July 15-17, according to the emails that some journalists are receiving. These are “confirmation of address” emails for the actual invitations themselves, according to Dan Hewitt, the director of media relations for the ESA, and not the actual invitations.

2007 was the year E3 left its traditional format, abandoning the name of Electronic Entertainment Expo{/e] for the considerably less-exciting and more straight-forward E3 Media and Business Summit. It became an invite only event, with attendance being slashed from a steadily-approaching 80,000 people, to a paltry 3-5,000 or so.

E3 is managed by International Data Group and hosted by the ESA, and also commands the E for All show, which made its debut venue earlier this year. E for All was created by the ESA as the alternative to E3, making it the forefront general admission event for gaming. In simple terms, the average joe can get into E for All, but E3 is boarded up shut. E for All, while well-attended, was not characterized by the usual whirlwind of groundbreaking announcements that E3 has become known for.

Last year, E3 left its long-time home in the Los Angeles Convention Center and relocated in a warehouse in Santa Monica, easily illustrating the brand new low-key and more face-to-face intimate feel that the ESA was attempting to invoke. This year however, word is that E3 will return to its larger home – does that mean more invites to more journalists? It may, or it could just mean many of the contributor's felt they needed more space than the hotel rooms of '07.

Either way, keep checking GameAlmighty to stay up on all the forthcoming E3 news.