In a tweet sent out today, the ESA confirmed that it would no longer put on the gaming industry trade show (E3). The official statement reads “After two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye”.
In a follow up on the Washington Post, the ESA commented “ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA member companies and the industry workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day.”, meaning the organization will still continue its gaming focused mission.
There’s perhaps no single thing that’s led to the shutting down of the event. As gaming audiences grew, E3 struggled to find a balance between industry trade show and fan/consumer event. At one point the ESA tried partnering with fan convention giant ReedPop to reshape what the convention would be. Though that partnership proved fruitless in the end. Earlier this year the 2023 edition of the event was cancelled with “lack of interest” given as the reason. Global pandemic? Studios reallocating resources to more fan direct events? Summer Games Fest? Murky messaging? We may never know the full story behind why E3 is no longer in operation but in the next few months the gaming news industry will monitor the fallout of what the ESA does in the wake of all of this. Keep in mind the ESA held key dates every year at the Los Angeles Convention Center, a huge market for every industry. While it won’t be hard for the city to find a new client for the openings. It will be interesting if we ever get to hear about the ESA having to settle any contracted obligations to the convention center and what the terms were. It may give insight into how long these troubles were brewing for.
E3 will live on through the memories of over-the-top press conferences, wild booth displays, and celebrity pandering.
