E3, once gaming’s biggest expo, is officially dead

“After more than two decades of hosting an event that has served as a central showcase for the U.S. and global video game industry,” the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has decided to bring E3 to a close, said Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO of the nonprofit trade association that represents the games industry’s interests in the United States.

[darthv72]

E3 was getting less and less about the celebration of games in general and more about the behind closed door showings. When smaller outfits started skipping it, due to increasing costs each year and less space for representation... so did the big outfits. Nintendo, Sega, Sony, MS... all of them can do their own show and do it on their own schedule.

[justsomeoffdude]

yup, all about the greed as usual

[dumahim]

:(

And yet we get these slogs like TGA to replace it.

[DOMination-]

E3 is a trade show/convention and that's what this article is about.

The publisher presentations are really nothing to do with e3 - they just decided to have them around that time because it made sense.

With E3 dead, I imagine MS will transition to a format similar to Sony and Nintendo.

There's not enough content for other publishers to have annual shows now games are in development so yeah non platform holders will probably just use TGA or summer games fest moving forwards

[EvertonFC]

For us gamers who ONLY watched, E3 was watching EA, Ubi, Xbox, playstation and others events.
Actually going to E3 as a gamer was standing in extremely long cues to play game. If you went for the wkd you would be lucky to play 5 games in total as cues were 4/5 hours long.

[Christopher]

Honestly, I much prefer TGA. Not a slog. Everyone comes in with their big announcements and no filler or dancing on stage.

[badz149]

did you watch this year's TGA? freakin Sam Lake was dancing on stage to promote AW2!

[isarai]

E3 was a slog for years before it stopped, this wasn't a sudden death, it was very slow. And the ESA could've prevented this easily if they just beefed up their security. That's why everyone started having their own E3 events separate from the venue and the ESA, the leaks were crazy, not only for the games, but corporate info like addresses and financial account information.

[CrimsonWing69]

It died for me when everyone decided to pull out from it and other own directs.

[Christopher]

It died for me when it become very console-centric.

[isarai]

Blame the ESA and their almost non-existent security, almost every year was major leaks of not only games but card and account info for companies who booked for the venue.

[Elda]

At this point in time it's no surprise.

[Kneetos]

I'm glad the Nintendo direct/state of play style format took off, ever since Nintendo began it I payed more attention to that and later SoP then E3

[Chocoburger]

I get why this has happened, but it didn't actually need to happen. The ESA just kept getting it wrong, and COVID-19 was the final nail in the coffin.

I was at E3 2003 and 2004, and hot damn they were some of the best times of my life. Very short lines, lots of cool people, playing games before they were out, got to meet developers of your favorite games. What a great experience!

I returned to E3 in 2017, and it was horrible, the lines were multiple hours long for certain games, cosplayers were clogging up the walkways, the Nintendo booth was crowded beyond belief and everyone there weren't prepared for the incoming insanity of the crowd, what a pain, and so I didn't bother returning for 2018 or 2019, just to pay money in order to spend most of my time standing in line like a doofus.

Japan has a public gaming event.
Germany has a public gaming event.
America needs its gaming-dedicated event too.

Comic Con / PAX / SXSW don't even come close to the potential E3 once had.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Even though the writings been in the wall for years now, it really sucks to have confirmation. This was our early Christmas every year, but more and more names kept pulling out because of money, so they could just monetize us later anyway. I'll never forget Resident Evil 7, God of War, Final Fantasy VII Remake, P.T... Those surprise stage presentations were the best.

[EvertonFC]

RIP E3, had many a memory, drink, smoke and games was a blast with friends E3 parties 🎉

[Ristul]

E3 was so special growing up, reading gaming magazines as a kid about the big convention with all those new games was really special, and later when everything could be watched online. Some very iconic moments in gaming happended at E3. I will always remember Reggies "my body is ready" for example, or when Sony trolled MS DRM fiasco. Good times.

[porkChop]

There's little reason for it anymore. Remove the trailers and all you have left is awkward presentations, dancing, live music, etc. Just a bunch of filler. Publishers realized they can take the Nintendo Direct route and just do their own thing both cheaper and better, with very little fluff or filler.

[eagle21]

It was fun while it lasted....

[Yui_Suzumiya]

I remember when the first E3 was covered in Game Pro magazine. I'll miss it.

[Zenzuu]

Sad to see it go. It was a great event for gamers and developers all around the world getting together and celebrate gaming as a community.

The announcements of new games/hardware, hype, surprises and seeing live audience reactions, it's something only events like E3 are able to bring.

It will be missed... R.I.P

[EvertonFC]

The raw of the audience reaction when a dev logo got displayed like ND or guerilla games is something a pre recorded online showcase can't replicate.
I'll miss those moments for sure ☹️

[gold_drake]

imo
the last really great E3 was when Breath of the wild was showcased and the Nintendo tree people kept playing it.
it was a hot summer and i loved every second of it.

but in this day an age where all the people have online directs and state of play, theres no real reason to have it anymore.

the worst thing that could have happened to E3 was covid. by that point, it was already slowly dyjng.

its sad to see it go but it is what it is.

[anast]

Maybe they can start an influencer and celebrity expo?

[Shane Kim]

Good.

[babadivad]

Sad

[melons]

I will miss it! Better to have one E3 than seemingly a hundred different conferences throughout the year

[frostypants]

E3 was at its best when it was an industry/media only event. You could only get in by applying for credentials. It was all about the games, it was easy to speak to company reps and devs, etc. When it turned into a Comic-Con type event with ridiculous overblown reveals and massive crowds it started going downhill.

[mastershredder]

Um. It was officially dead last year when the Expo center was already reserved for other events. ESA's fluff and final message is exactly what they represent Nada.

Adorbs that people think this was an event for gamers and the love of gaming. That's not what E3 was ever about, it was in fact a trade show for developers and related product developer, engineers, creatives, backend sales and marketing.

The ESA got more desperate for $ over the years years and kept opening once trade show to bloggers, Gamestop and Bestbuy employees, and shrill gaming media. The cherry on top was opening it up to consumers and expect the big dawgs to foot a bill to draw people to their event. Get wrecked ESA, as you did with E3, by your own hand.