Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has officially announced the indefinite cancellation of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3. The once-iconic event, which has been a cornerstone of the gaming calendar for over two decades, will no longer be a focal point for game developers, publishers, and gamers alike.
“After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye. Thanks for the memories. GGWP,” stated the event organizer on its official website.
E3’s decline began in 2019 when Sony Interactive Entertainment broke with tradition and decided to skip the event for the first time in its history. The subsequent years saw the event grappling with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, E3 was held as an all-virtual event and was entirely canceled in 2022 with a promise to turn in 2023 as a hybrid online and in-person event. Back in March 2023, the new organizer Reedpop announced that the game was canceled again. It made people wonder if the game will ever return. Now we know that E3 will never come back.
E3’s legacy dates back to its inaugural event at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 1995. The event attracted over 40,000 attendees. In the following years, the event grew and saw 69,200 attendees in 2019. However, the changing landscape of the gaming industry and the rise of alternative events like Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest and The Game Awards made E3 almost irrelevant. Nintendo and Sony hold their events to announce most of their new products. Only a very few big gaming companies are committed to being a part of physical events.
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