On March 31st, 2022, it was reported that the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) had decided to cancel its yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo - known as E3 for short - marking the second time in three years the event has been canceled outright.
The news about E3’s cancellation was first broken by Razer’s Will Powers, who reported via Twitter that he had received an email from the ESA confirming the cancellation, with no plans for an in-person or digital-only event. While the cancellation of the in-person event was confirmed back in January of this year, due to health concerns with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there was a back-and-forth between the ESA and other industry professionals as to whether there would be a digital event like in 2021. However, the possibility of another all-digital E3 was officially axed with the ESA’s cancellation.
While the ESA seems to be trying to regroup for a major comeback in 2023, the damage to their reputation may already be done - now the future of E3 seemingly is up in the air.
The reaction to E3’s cancellation and future has been mixed. A newer generation of gamers seem to think E3 has outlived its relevance, with major gaming announcements these days finding their audiences directly from digital presentations like Playstation’s State of Play or the various Nintendo Directs. But an older generation of gamers will hold fond memories from the media frenzy that was the E3 Weekend.
Beginning in 1995, E3 was originally an event closed to the public - only industry professionals and gaming media were allowed access to the event itself (E3 would later on open itself to public attendees beginning in 2017). For gamers growing up during E3’s heyday, that meant being glued to the magazines, television shows, or early days of online video streaming to check out the latest and greatest in the gaming world. The entire gaming world showed out on E3 Weekend - Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sega, and countless other gaming publishers would use E3’s platform to announce everything from the newest gaming titles to the next generation of video game systems.
To a younger gaming generation, it might be a little hard to describe the excitement that surrounded past E3 shows - take the excitement you get when an upcoming Nintendo Direct or State of Play is announced, multiply that by three, throw it all in a blender with a dash of Los Angeles glitz and sometimes awkward presentations, and that was the E3 Experience in a nutshell. It may seem antiquated by today’s standards of professional digital presentations, where the latest gaming announcements are just a mouse-click away, but there was a charm in the E3 shows of yesteryear that’s hard to replicate nowadays.
While gaming events like Summer Game Fest, Tokyo Game Show, and the annual Game Awards all slated for later this year, it’s not like the absence of E3 will cause a dent in giving game publishers and developers a platform to announce their latest products. And while the ESA promises to come back better than ever in 2023, it seems the fate of E3 will be up in the air in the meantime. Until E3’s return - whether it’s online or at the Los Angeles Convention Center - we’ll at least have the memories of the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
- Written by Fair Game Staff Member Cody E.