^Hah, first post-only reader!
If it was true, I'd say good riddance, since the event has shifted focus so much after it's heavy marketizing. I mean, sure the games still the main thing, but there's so much extra unnecessary weight on the expo that it's high time something less grandiose was corporealised. Small, maybe one-label or -publisher events are actually the way to go. Audiecne still gets their coverage and glitter, but thanks to the events private nature, hyping and whoring your product is much more efficient.
Of course, if the focus would shift to little events, there'd be even more unhealthy competing among them.