The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) has announced the retirement of the popular gaming expo known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Abbreviated as E3, the annual expo has been running annually for almost 30 years.
The news about the permanent cancellation of E3 was published by The Washington Post. Later the news was confirmed by ESA through an official post on their X (formerly Twitter) account. The post by ESA about E3’s termination mentioned, “after more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye.”
— E3 (@E3) December 12, 2023
In the post, ESA also expressed their gratitude towards their attendees for “the memories.” Notably, the news of the permanent cancelation follows a few turbulent years wherein ESA had to cancel E3 due to multiple reasons including organizational problems, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is E3?
E3 or Electronic Entertainment Expo is a trade event for the United States’ video game industry organised by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organized and presented E3. It is attended by several developers, publishers, hardware, and accessory manufacturers. The expo has been happening since 1995. It serves as a platform for developers and publishers to reveal their upcoming games as well as gaming hardware to members of the industry, such as shareholders, journalists, and others.
Over the years, E3 featured an exhibition floor open for developers, publishers, and manufacturers to display their titles and products for sale in the upcoming year. Before the expo as well as during the event, publishers and hardware manufacturers hosted press conferences to launch new games and products.
For over two decades, E3 has been an integral part of the gaming industry’s history. The event was annually anticipated by several industry giants like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and many others to launch their products. Several big games and consoles were announced during the event over the years.
Why did E3 shut down?
E3’s perpetual cancelation follows a few rough years where ESA canceled events due to COVID-19 in 2020 and then once again in 2022. Although ESA hosted the event virtually in 2021, everything didn’t seem all that well. It received lukewarm reactions and underwhelming reveals.
After a not-so-successful 2021 expo, there were speculations that the traditional in-person event would return again in 2022, however, the second wave of the pandemic affected the organization and E3 was canceled once again.
This year again the expo was canceled for a third consecutive time since the companies pulled out of the event and hosted their own showcases. Besides, the expo was competing with Summer Game Fest.
Stanley Pierre-Louis, the CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, gave a statement to The Washington Post saying, “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.”
Due to recent reasons, E3 was considered “dead” by the industry, however, there were some hopes that it would make a comeback next year. However, according to ESA’s announcement, it will never return.