It’s the end of an era for gamers everywhere as the trade show/gaming event Electronic Entertainment Expo best known as E3 has officially announced that it is time to say goodbye.
Respects to E3
In a post on their Facebook page, the management posted a statement stating, “After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye.”
They ended the statement with “Thanks for the memories. GGWP.”
Meanwhile, Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) mentioned in a statement with The Washington Post, “We know the entire industry, players and creators alike have a lot of passion for E3. We share that passion. 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.”
What is E3 and what happened?
E3 was a trade show held in Los Angeles, California in 1995 organized by the ESA. During its tenure, it featured many developers, publishers, hardware, and accessory manufacturers to introduce and advertise their upcoming games and game-related merchandise and products.
At its peak, the convention featured the biggest names in gaming including Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.
In 2017, the organizers finally opened to public attendees after years of being an industry-only event.
Sony PlayStation decided to leave the event in 2018 and started what can be considered a domino effect for other gaming companies and vendors. However, what really started the worries for E3 was the pandemic in 2020, forcing game publishers and developers to present their games via their own livestreams.
In 2021, the organizers opted to put together an online format for the convention for the fans but really didn’t live up to its trade show appeal and made it more like an Experience rather than an Expo. The 2022 show was meant to be held in person again but was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns.
This year, the ESA looked to ReedPop to help organize the first in-person event since 2019 but later on was canceled due to a ‘lack of sustained interest’.
Pierre-Louis sees the closure of E3 as a sign that the business of video games “has blossomed in different ways”.
“That’s exciting for our industry, and it means it’s an opportunity for them to explore how to engage new audiences in different ways,” he added.
Sources 1, 2 | Featured Image
Ram found his love and appreciation for writing in 2015 having started in the gaming and esports sphere for GG Network. He would then transition to focus more on the world of tech which has also began his journey into learning more about this world. That said though, he still has the mentality of "as long as it works" for his personal gadgets.
