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It was a different E3 we saw this year with new regulations in place to make the show floor a more business-friendly place. The booth babes were toned down in more modest outfits and we have now discovered that NCSoft has been fined for making too much noise.
NCSoft was promoting their new RPG Tabula Rasa with a stage show featuring music by Mutaytor. Although the company claims they were doing their best to comply with regulations, the ESA still found it appropriate to fine the company $5,000.
The company has not taken responsibility for the fine, but rather blamed Sega, their neighbor booth, for having people monitoring their noise with decibel readers to detect the slightest infraction in the limit. NCSoft has not confirmed whether their speakers were facing inward as the new regulations state.
Fred Schmidt, the Vice President of Strategic Development, has also stated that he isn’t sure whether or not NCSoft will be appearing at next year’s E3. “We’re not sure we’re on the same plane with this organization… We have been harassed for three days straight, and I’m not sure we’re coming back here, but we are going to have a party next year – real near here – and we hope you all will come,” he stated.
Schmidt then requested E3’s show management to come to the booth. He then defiantly held up his credit card and stated that if the company wanted his money they would have to come up and take it from him. When no one came on stage to take his credit card, he stated that he believed the ESA didn’t want to discuss it in public “because it’s much better to have it in private of course – beat ‘em up behind the scenes. But I’m sure I’ll get the bill somewhere.”
“Rock n’ roll, people!” Schmidt concluded.