Video Games
E3, gaming’s most important expo for decades, is officially dead
The ESA has just confirmed that the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, will not return in any form.
It’s for some sad, yet highly expected news. On December 12, 2023, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced the official termination of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event. It will no longer return in any way, shape or form. E3 is finally, officially dead.
“After more than two decades of hosting an event that has served as a central showcase for the U.S. and global video game industry, ESA has decided to end E3” said ESA president Stanley Pierre-Louis to The Washington Post. “We know the entire industry, players and creators alike, have a lot of passion for E3. We share that passion. 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.”
“After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye. Thanks for the memories” is the last message on the event’s official X/Twitter account. The same message is now the only thing shown on the expo’s official site.
The slow death of E3
For many years, E3 was considered to be the largest and most important gathering for the entirety of the video game industry. A mixture of AAA studios and smaller devs were given a chance to not only show off their upcoming titles to the public all around the world, while attendees even got to test them out but also to meet up and talk to fellow developers. For decades it was one of the best ways for smaller projects to get noticed by publishers.
However, as time went one and the internet evolved, digital events became the norm. At a much smaller cost of production (and without the need to pay the ESA for a spot), Nintendo led the charge in cancelling their in-person presentations in favor of their “Nintendo Direct” digital events. Soon after, other companies followed suit. It’s believed that the biggest hit to the show was in 2018, when Sony Interactive Entertainment decided to no longer participate in the event.
“Trade shows have a limited shelf life and E3 served its purpose,” said industry legend Peter Moore to MeriStation’s Gabriel Huerta in an interview. “That purpose was to legitimize video games, was to make them part of not just entertainment, but popular culture. It was at one point one of the biggest trade shows in the world, and it showed to people outside of gaming how big this industry was.”