E3 is officially no more. After almost 30 years as the gaming industry’s top event, the Entertainment Software Association announced this week that E3 will not be coming back, ushering in a major shake-up in video game announcement and marketing. The news came as a shock to many fans in the gaming world due to how popular this event has been. In the past, hundreds of games were announced at this event and was universally known as the definitive place to celebrate gaming culture. With its discontinuation, fans have been speculating about what this means in the long-run, and how events like The Game Awards have slowly crept in to fill the void.
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Why Has E3 Shut Down Operations?
The Entertainment Software Association or ESA has announced the end of E3 28 years after the first event occurred. In a statement shared on X and with the Washington Post, the ESA stated it had decided to end the Electronic Entertainment Expo after nearly three decades. The statement from the Entertainment Software Association states the following:
After more than two decades of serving as a central showcase for the video game industry, Esa has decided to end E3. ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA member companies and the industry Workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day.
in March I,GN reported that almost a year after announcing its return, the ESA had canceled this year's E3. At the time the ESA said the 2023 version simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength and impact of the industry.
This year's event was supposed to be held from June 13th to 16th at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the show's home for many years and would have been the first in-person E3 since 2019. E3 2020 was canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic and a digital version was held in 2021. E3 was canceled again in 2022 to focus on a revitalized showcase that would set a new standard for hybrid industry events. Unfortunately, these plans never materialized as other events like gamescom, and TGA filled the void. One of the biggest factors working against the event's longevity was companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo not wishing to showcase their games at the event, instead focusing on their own shoes like the Xbox Games Showcase, Sony's State of Play, and Nintendo Direct.