We might not be seeing the return of E3 for the next couple of years. This was indicated by the Los Angeles City Tourism Board's meeting notes, which detailed that citywide convention sales results included cancellations for E3 2024 and 2025.
While this isn't exactly an official confirmation, it seems reasonable to assume that E3 2024 and 2025 will not occur, at least not in LA. E3 has been a staple in the gaming calendar for decades and has hosted the expo in LA for the longest part of its run. ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis indicated in an interview earlier this year with Gamesindustry.biz that ESEA is analyzing the market and finding the "right balance" that meets the "needs of the industry".
Has E3 Been Replaced by the Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards For Good?
E3 was set to make its big return this year as an in-person physical event but the new organiser, Reedpop simply deemed that the event did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute E3 this year. This was a major letdown for fans of the annual expo and long-time gaming fans as the expo has been, for the better part of 2 decades, simply the biggest gaming event of the year and has attracted massive interest from major platform holders, publishers, and studios.
In recent years, the spotlight seems to have shifted to other annual events such as The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest, and Gamescom. This gradual shift in interest stems from major platform holders like Sony and Nintendo electing to opt out of E3. Geoff Keighley's high-profile exit from E3 saw his new creation The Summer Game Fest take off in a big way and essentially added to the demise of the once-great E3. It will be interesting to see if ESA is able to get back on the ball and get E3 back to its position as the year's biggest gaming event.