There’s been a lot of chatter about the relevance of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known to everyone as E3. While the last few years have been difficult for the show to happen, due to the global pandemic, many people have questioned whether the show should remain or not. Though the ESA has continuously held the stance that E3 would still happen in some capacity, all signs appear to be pointing to a different outcome. And after the reveal of some information from an unlikely source for gamers, E3 might be in bigger trouble than many initially thought.
According to a document that was publicly available from the LA City Tourism Commission, E3 has been cancelled for both 2024 and 2025. The document has a whole section devoted to conventions in Los Angeles, titled Citywide Convention Sales, with a part that mentions the E3 cancellations. The document first appeared online on ResetEra with one user (Rosti) who gave a detailed breakdown of the whole document. The thread on the forum highlighted the section where the dates for E3 2024 and E3 2025 were initially confirmed, with June 11th for the 2024 show and June 3rd being referenced for the 2025 show.
Not too long ago, E3 for 2023 was cancelled back in March after troubles hosting the event had arisen. The big show had issues getting multiple game publishers and companies to have a presence at the LA Convention Center. Some of the biggest publishers in the industry had made it known early on that they had no plans on attending, meaning anyone who went to the show could expect to see no big Nintendo, PlayStation, or Xbox booth there. An interview published on GamesIndustry.biz had some quotes from ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis about why the show was cancelled.
“First, several companies have reported that the timeline for game development has been altered since the start of the COVID pandemic. Second, economic headwinds have caused several companies to reassess how they invest in large marketing events. And third, companies are starting to experiment with how to find the right balance between in-person events and digital marketing opportunities… With all that said, we remain committed to providing a platform for industry marketing and convening but we want to make sure we find the right balance for the industry’s current and ongoing needs…”
Reactions from gamers to the document and news on social media have been a mixed bag. Various game developers and industry professionals have given a wide array of opinions about the news. Many shared the sentiment that this was going to happen eventually and that news like this was set to come out for a long time. Many people also cited that the rise of digital events like State of Play, Nintendo Direct, and other game publisher presentations was partially responsible.
ESA rep tells me that E3 2024's fate is TBD. (City of LA had listed it as cancelled)
ESA: "ESA is currently in conversation with ESA members and other stakeholders about E3 2024 (and beyond), and no final decisions about the events have been made at this time." https://t.co/SmGouJi1Bl
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 22, 2023
Following the news coming out from the document, Axios gaming writer and former Kotaku EIC Stephen Totilo received a statement from an ESA rep saying things are still undecided. “ESA is currently in conversation with ESA members and other stakeholders about E3 2024 (and beyond), and no final decisions about the events have been made at this time.” For many online, the statement is awkward and doesn’t seem to reflect the reality of what is happening according to the City of Los Angeles. But hopefully, soon, a more definitive statement on the matter from the ESA will come out and clear everything up.
What do you think about E3 getting cancelled for 2024 and 2025? Do you think the LA City Tourism Commission has things right or can the ESA still make E3 happen? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comment section!
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