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It is official – after several years of cancellations and unfulfilled promises, E3, once the biggest gaming and game showcase event in the world, has been declared dead and won't be making a return in the coming years.
The CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, the company responsible for organizing E3, Stanley Pierre-Louis, made the announcement about the show's demise in an interview with The Washington Post, confirming that the event has been permanently canceled.
The exact reasons for its cancelation, while weren't outright stated by Pierre-Louis, are obvious to everyone familiar with the industry – a diminishing interest from game developers and publishers, a lack of enthusiasm from gamers, and the rise of numerous other game industry events serving the same purpose as E3 once did, e.g. Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest.
"We know the entire industry, players and creators alike have a lot of passion for E3. We share that passion," Pierre-Louis told TWP. "We know it's difficult to say goodbye to such a beloved event, but it's the right thing to do given the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners."
The story of E3's downfall began during the COVID times when, in 2020, the event was canceled due to pandemic-related restrictions and stay-at-home orders. The subsequent year, E3 attempted to adapt by hosting an online event in 2021, but it failed to capture the same audience engagement as in-person gatherings, allegedly resulting in significant financial losses for the ESA. Then, in 2022, the show was canceled again, most likely stemming from the financial setbacks of the previous year.
In 2023, however, E3 was to make a triumphant return as an in-person event, promising to "bring back that spark" and "restore E3's role as a truly magical global showcase event for game creators and consumers". However, the toll of three consecutive years of cancellations became apparent when multiple big-league AAA game development studios, such as Nintendo, Sony, Xbox, Ubisoft, SEGA, Tencent, and many others chose not to participate in E3 2023, opting instead to conduct their own shows or use the aforementioned Summer Game Fest as their platform. This industry-wide exodus made it evident to everyone that the once-greatest gaming event had lost its relevance, leading to the cancellation of its 2023 iteration as well.
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