It was at CeBIT that I first met your very own Fudzilla's Fudo, when I was trudging the halls first for the Rogister and then for the INQUIRER. And there too where I often bumped into Thomas Pabst of Tom's Hardware.

Now I will never have to trudge those halls ever again, because the organisers of the show have decided the game isn't worth the candle any more.

An official statement from Deutsche Messe AG said that trade visitors fell to a recent low of 120,000 – down from the 850,000 visitors it once commanded.

The organisers said the vast halls of the Hannover Messe will be used now for specific events, without being specific about the events.