- E3 has officially been canceled by the ESA.
- Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of ESA, implies that the reason for the demise of E3 can be how developers have much easier and cost-effective ways of showcasing their offerings to people.
- Even with E3 gone, there are events like Gamescom, The Games Awards, and more to look forward to henceforth.
E3, which has arguably been the biggest gaming event for around two decades, is officially dead. The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) has revealed that the annual event has permanently been canceled via an official X post and the E3 website.
E3 happened as a digital-only event back in 2021 (the last in-person event took place in 2019) due to the Coronavirus pandemic but has been canceled every year since then. It was expected to return as an in-person event this year (in June) in collaboration with ReedCorp but was eventually canceled again. This was probably a hint at what’s coming next!
In a statement to The Washington Post, Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of ESA, said,
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.
It is suggested that the biggest reason for the demise of E3 can be accredited to the fact that companies and developers have much easier and cost-effective ways of reaching the audience, which includes their own online events and gaming announcements.
For those who don’t know, Sony PlayStation hosts events to announce its hardware and new incoming games, and so does Microsoft. Way back in 2011, Nintendo introduced its direct events to showcase its new announcements.
However, we can still see some in-person gaming events, which have safely replaced E3. This includes the recently concluded The Game Awards, Gamescom, and the Summer Fest (which came into existence in 2020 and is hosted by The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley). It remains to be seen if these gaming events (or any in-person tech event like CES, MWC, and more for that matter) will continue to see glory and attract traction or will see the same fate as E3!
Are you sad about E3 being officially canceled? What are your thoughts about in-person large-scale tech events? Do you think they should be canceled altogether? Do share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
