Companies aren't simply balking at the price to be a part of E3. More than anything, they don't want to be a part of a conference that has gone from 80,000 participants with a crazy cool atmosphere to a crowd of 4,000 journalists and industry insiders.

E3 has destroyed itself. It's ridiculous.

Isn't the price point also an ROI issue, though? The journalists and insiders already know what's coming, so paying huge amounts for a booth to preach to the choir doesn't show much of a return. If the point is to talk to gamers and consumers, that might be more of a worthwhile investment.