Well, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is officially dead, according to the Electronic Software Association this morning. In a statement to The Washington Post, the ESA confirmed that the long-running and iconic games industry event was forever canceled, ending years of trying to bring it back to life.
For decades, E3 was typically circled on every gamer's calendar as "Gamer Christmas," effectively. It was at this show that we would learn about the future of the games industry, both near and far. Companies would descend upon the Los Angeles Convention Center and showcase their new products, connect with retailers and publishers, and more. This was an industry event on the surface, but it evolved into a tentpole consumer event where press conferences would dominate what journalists and industry members would see on the show floor.
However, the relevance of E3 has waned in the last ten years with the rise of social media, streaming, and much more. Its place in the industry had been questioned by gamers and insiders alike, wondering how relevant a glitzy event in the heart of LA could be when companies could just as easily stream direct to their consumers on Twitch and get, in the end, the same result.
— E3 (@E3) December 12, 2023
Companies like Electronic Arts, Activision-Blizzard, and more began ultimately pulling out of the event, with EA hosting its own E3-style event right next door for years alongside the big show. Nintendo stopped hosting E3 pressers, instead doing their Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Treehouse shows to more directly talk to their customers. Fans were allowed in for the first time in the years leading up to its last in-person show, but even that wasn't enough to save E3 it seems.
ESA CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis, in a statement, acknowledges that it's "difficult to say goodby to such a beloved event," but acknowledges that the industry has moved on.
Via the statement given to The Washington Post:
"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.”
In a later part of the WaPo article, Pierre-Louis acknowledges that the direct line to consumers was something of a death knell for the relevancy of an E3.
"There were fans who were invited to attend in the later years, but it really was about a marketing and business model for the industry and being able to provide the world with information about new products[.] Companies now have access to consumers and to business relations through a variety of means, including their own individual showcases.”
Personally, it's bittersweet to see E3 die, as it was always a dream of mine growing up to be there. My first E3 was back in 2013, when the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were at the peak of their marketing cycle ahead of launch. It was such a blast to finally reach what I called "Gaming Mecca," this pilgrimage I wanted to make ever since I was a kid and watched E3 coverage on G4 or Spike TV. I would be lucky enough to attend for four more years as a freelancer, working for an old podcast network and on interviews and assignments for Playboy and other outlets.
My favorite memory has to be E3 2015, when Final Fantasy VII REMAKE was finally announced. It was electric inside the Sony press conference as the crowd went ballistic, and I furiously tried typing up my coverage on a crappy Chromebook I was using at the time. It was through nights of hanging out with colleagues and others at E3 where I met many of my lifelong friends in this industry, and it opened many doors for me professionally, even helping to land where I am today.
While I began to question its relevancy in years, it has always held such a special place in my professional life as it is the show that breathed life into it for me. Going to the Fig after the show ended to meet up with industry colleagues for a drink, running to Kentia Hall to try to make that last appointment, fighting with the crowds (especially when fans were let in). Watching a New Orleans-style funeral dirge disrupt the flow of E3 during Mafia's marketing cycle (I was late to an appointment that year because I couldn't stop watching it). These are all memories that I'll hold dear when I think of E3, not necessarily the failed attempts to revive a show whose purpose had sprinted by.
Summer Games Fest has taken on the role of the tentpole industry show in LA now it seems, while Gamescom in Europe is only getting bigger (and expanding to South America). The Game Awards are a quasi-E3 now with the sheer volume of game advertisements versus actual awards. I does make me wonder, though, whether we'll see another major event like this in North America again. PAX is big, but the feel there is much different, more down to earth, than E3 ever had.
So long, E3, and thanks for all the fish.
