After months of uncertainty, E3 has officially ended for good. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has today put out a statement to confirm that after more than two decades, the gaming convention is no more.
In recent years, most notably since the COVID-19 pandemic and its after-effects, E3 has struggled to stay relevant amidst multiple efforts to reinvent itself. Both the 2022 and 2023 events were cancelled following an all-digital event in 2021 at the height of the pandemic.
Here's a slightly longer statement provided to The Washington Post by the ESA:
"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."
Since E3's last event, Geoff Keighley's 'Summer Game Fest' has effectively taken over as gaming's big mid-year convention. Run by The Game Awards host, the show has carried the torch in recent years - providing publishers and developers with a public platform to show off their upcoming titles.
We have some amazing memories of E3 over the years so it's certainly sad to see it go. Recent iterations of the event haven't been what they used to be, sure, but we'll miss it dearly as the industry's big summer event. Farewell E3!
Will you miss E3, or are you perfectly happy with Summer Game Fest and TGA? Drop your thoughts below.
Comments 24
This was always the highlight of my gaming year. I will miss it
Well we have summer game fest now
This news sucks, I am not a fan at all. The directs we have had instead the last 2 years have been nowhere near as good.
Me and the wife will miss e3, so many great memories
Disappointed by this news but the show became too bloated and the big 3 had exited already. Hope something good fills the void.
Inevitable but still disappointing. Have a lot of great memories of meeting up with mates and watching these conferences over some beers.
The new “Direct” format is undoubtably more polished and likely costs a fraction to produce, but they feel a bit soulless by comparison.
Used to love the staged E3 etc.
This is a shame despite the writing being on the wall, I will miss E3
More keighley in a showcase means less fun
Very sad had some good night's watching this with mates over the year's
My wife had the Super Bowl, I had E3. I’m sad to see it go, even if this is surprising news.
As “journalist” surprised you would forget and not mention the start of the spiral. There was the leak that exposed 2,000 journalists private info in 2019 that really started the downfall of e3.
It's fine, each of the big 3 and the major publishers can just do an online presentation, cut out all the fluff and concentrate on delivering what we want to see: games. e3 was such a massive expense - I'd rather see the companies pay their hard working developers what they deserved. Hoping less crunch time for producing stupid CGI trailers too.
Pour one out. I know some game journo’s were always mad that the public viewed E3 as some big super fun time event and even attended it when they shouldn’t have, but screw them, E3 was amazing.
I loved Gamespots coverage in the early and mid 00’s. And even into the early 10’s a little bit. I had fun chatting during the livestreams, something I rarely find enjoyable at all, especially now. So many fond memories.
Super sad it had to end this way. The other showcases we get these days have never been quite the same. But it obviously makes more sense this way.
Very upsetting. Was something me and the girlfriend looked forward to each year. We made time, sat down and watched, kind of like an event, like the Superbowl or any playoffs.
Shame we lost that that and something as awful as Summer Game Fest is considered a replacement.
@InheritNegative Same GameSpot was my go to for E3 during those years. The console wars were glorious😁.
The true " World Premieres" were magical.
It's been an awesome ride, from late 80s, early 90s Sega and Nintendo, to the PS1 and the OG Xbox/Halo that consumed gaming culture.
I'm going to really truly miss E3, but the ride getting here I wouldn't trade for anything
I appreciate what we had but I'm fine with everyone doing their own thing.
My earliest memory of online video game showcases was trying to watch Spaceworld in the 90s on Real Player or Quicktime.
I can't say I am surprised, the writing was on the wall the past few years. I will miss it surley, taking the day off from work to see the announcements and such but this was inevitable. Especially if you saw the last couple of years.
E3 was a 'trade' show and the writing was on the wall for years with the rise in internet users, youtube etc. Companies don't 'need' to spend a fortune to attend a trade show to tell the press what they have planned for the year ahead so they can go write up articles to inform the 'Gamers', the Gamers now get their info straight from youtube/twitch,
Companies know that they can put out a video and get their message out so E3 became less and less important to both companies and the 'Trade'. You don't 'need' to go to E3 now to play some game to write about it, they can be sent a digital download.
E3 didn't evolve quickly enough and perhaps should of shifted its focus to Consumers and it becoming the start of the run into the Holiday season - a 'Summer Game Fest' for the Gamers - not the press/trade that E3 was...
I enjoyed what Microsoft did to replace the void in the schedule last year. I wish they would do one every three months… btw why don’t they?
So what exactly is the point of ESA anymore? E3 was their thing.
Although not surprising it is a shame notheless. ESA has its problems but I really dislike Geoff's shows pacing.
As much as I enjoyed the e3 coverage, it is old hat really. It's no different than the Video Game awards. Video game companies have more effective ways of reaching us then these ways
it's the end of an era where the industry was physically celebrating GAMING of any big publishers and for 4 to 5 days we were flood or drown in gaming interview in gameplay presentations,trailers,teasers,it was the moment to see each others physicly seeing the makers of those games maybe seeing someone you admire,create new friends new bond maybe a new crush! 😅 E3 was so many thing it was often in mid june in hot weathers, for some it was bussiness for some a gaming christmas, no matter what E3 was special i got so many good memories from watching it online it's trully the end of a era. Rest in pdace beloved E3 and all the excitments and joy you brought.✌️
The truly horrible part of this is that it definitively ends the gaming era that I remember most fondly. E3, along with magazines like EGM, GamePro, OXM, XBN, GI, OPM, PSM, and Nintendo Power, were my connection to any and everything gaming...and now, they're all gone!
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