ESA confirms that E3 is officially dead
Entertainment Software Association (ESA), organizer of the video game industry trade show E3confirmed that E3 is dead and has no plans to rerun the event.
“After more than two decades of serving as the central platform for the presentation of video games, the ESA has decided to end E3“, they explained iz ESA na X. “ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA members and the industry workforce that creates positive cultural and economic impact every day.“
E3, which stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo, was a massive live event, mostly held in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019. It was an iconic place where game developers and publishers networked and publicly announced the games they were working on. In the last three years of its existence, E3 was also open to the public.
Summer Game Fest, the replacement for E3, will be held again next year
When the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, E3 2020 was canceled and the trade show never recovered. In 2021, it returned as a weak digital event, while the 2022 and 2023 iterations of the fair were canceled. Earlier this year, ESA and ReedPop ended their partnership working on E3, but ESA was tight-lipped about the future of the show at the time. It is now clear that E3 is not coming back.
ESAESA President and CEO, Stanley Pierre-Louis, revealed more speaking to The Washington Post. “There were fans who were invited to attend in later years, but it was really about the marketing and business model for the industry and being able to give the world information about new products. Companies now have access to consumers and business relationships through a variety of means, including their own events“, explained Pierre-Louis.
Ultimately, the ESA's comments indicate that the non-profit organization sees E3 as less necessary now that companies can organize their own physical and digital events to announce new games.
After two unsuccessful attempts to organize it live again, the organization completely abandoned this idea. Although there won't be an E3 in 2024, Geoff Keighley has already confirmed that Summer Game Fest, his replacement for E3 that first appeared during the pandemic, will be held again next year.