E3

E3 is officially cancelled forever

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, was one of the most important events in the video game industry for a long time. In June every year, fans from all over the world could enjoy the latest news and announcements, brought to them personally by the most important companies: Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Bethesda and many more. It was a truly magical time, and many considered it the “Gamer Christmas” due to the amount of exciting new games that were announced in just a few days.

However, E3 has been having a lot of problems lately. Among them, the quarantine caused by COVID-19. This had a big impact, because it led to the cancellation of the 2020 edition of the event. And they really couldn’t recover since then because, although the expo managed to return in 2021, the 2022 and 2023 editions were canceled, and then the Los Angeles Tourism Board confirmed that they wouldn’t return in 2024 or 2025 either. For many people, E3 was already dead and it only remained for them to officially confirm it…

Goodbye, E3…

Logo E3

The official Twitter page of the Electronic Entertainment Expo announced that the event was permanently cancelled. In an official statement, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), said, “After more than 2 decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye. Thank you for the memories. GGWP.” This is a pretty somber message for what used to be a pretty joyful and colorful event, so clearly this was a very difficult decision for ESA and everyone involved in the event to make.

But what was it all down to? While the 2020 quarantine was a tough blow to E3, it wasn’t the only reason it had to be permanently cancelled. In 2019, a data breach led to the leak of personal data of more than 2,000 people who had attended that year’s edition, including journalists, YouTubers and influencers. The negligence demonstrated by the ESA that year caused the general public to lose any remaining goodwill for the expo, and that was just the beginning of its downfall.

In 2015, Nintendo stopped attending E3 in person to transfer their own pre-recorded presentations, known as Nintendo Direct. Although they continued to show up to the event so journalists could try demos of their new games. This new format ended up being a huge success and slowly, other companies began to implement it. By 2020, Sony already had their State of Play and Microsoft already had their Xbox Games Showcase. Why risk going on a fixed date to an in-person event where everything is out of their control, when they can just stream their own pre-recorded presentation whenever they feel like it? Everything has changed since then.

Imagen De La E3 2019

A few years later, there was even Summers Game Fest, hosted by Geoff Keighley, which was broadcast at the same time of the year. Although there are multiple factors why E3 was slowly dying, this rise in new company-controlled online broadcasts was one of the main reasons. It is said that the organizers of the event tried to reinvent it for a long time, and there were people speculating that maybe in 2026 they were going to come back with a completely different format that was going to surprise everyone… But no, now we know that it was cancelled for good.

This is a sad day for the industry, even if it’s one that was a long time coming and maybe it’s for the best for everyone. After all, E3 has been home to some of the best memories for all those who made sure to tune in every year. And while we’re sure we’ll still have several memorable moments in the future, a bit of that magic will definitely be lost. So today we say goodbye forever to E3. What are some of your favorite memories from this event?

Logo E3 Con Fondo Negro