E3 Is Dead Forever
Despite previously holding the title of gaming’s biggest convention, E3 has officially been canceled and formally discontinued. Per a write-up in The Hollywood Reporter, the Electronic Entertainment Expo was finally shuttered due largely to the biggest developers having decided to move away from the event in place of their own marketing pushes such as Nintendo Direct and Summer Game Fest.
E3 Canceled And Will Be Missed
This should come as no major surprise to gamers as the event’s last in-person convention was held in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged mass public gatherings.
Despite E3 not being properly held in several years, gamers will surely miss the event, hailed as a hub for gaming news and events for over two decades.
Big Place For Announcements
While some criticized the stale performances, awkward delivery, and often lacking line-up of the annual convention, E3 always made for an eventful outing in gaming journalism.
Those who haven’t made a habit of watching the convention unfold live surely became aware of the event based on the flurry of new trailers and announcements available on YouTube and other social media the morning after the expo concluded each year.
First Held In 1995
The first E3 was held in 1995, and is often fondly remembered as the day Sony Interactive Entertainment president Steve Race announced the price and release date of the original PlayStation console.
The announcement was met with thunderous applause, heralding the beginning of a new era in gaming for most video game fans alive today.
In recent years, however, Sony has pulled away from E3, focussing on providing their own straight-to-consumer press and marketing along with Nintendo and Microsoft.
Developers Pulling Away
Though Nintendo Direct first began in 2011, Sony was the first of the big three gaming developers to pull away from E3 in 2018 officially. In the years since, multiple devs have followed suit, with the nail in the coffin seemingly being delivered by the pandemic.
As a result, E3 has only been held once in the past 4 years, making the downfall of the once ubiquitous expo seemingly inevitable.
Pandemic Shutdowns
E3 did attempt to reinvigorate fan interest for their 2019 event by opening the live show up to the public, allowing fans to get up close and personal with game developers from all over the world.
Had it not been for the 2020 pandemic and ensuing shutdowns, this strategy may have in fact kept the event going for a few extra years.
After years of struggling to keep the show going, representatives finally took to Twitter on Tuesday, December 12 to announce that the expo had reached its conclusion.
Replacing E3?
Efforts to replace the E3 expo have already begun, with the Game Awards ceremony acting as a frontrunner for the passing of the torch.
The Game Awards have already taken on much of the cultural power recognized by E3 in years past, with an increased viewership comparable to other major gaming events.
Despite many gamers lamenting the loss of E3 as we know it, it seems that this moment will be remembered not as the end of gaming events, but as a new chapter in the long and storied history of gaming journalism and conventions.
