The Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners confirm that E3 has been cancelled for both 2024 and 2025. The heads of the event, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), have not yet confirmed the news.
E3 was canceled in 2023 because of a lack of developer support and growing support of Summer Game Fest 2023. More information about E3 2024 and 2025’s cancellation was revealed in a sales brochure from the Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners. The brochure seemingly solidifies the end of E3 as fans once knew it.
Is E3 Cancelled?
On June 21, the Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners released a brochure about the city’s future. On Page 21 of the accompanying document, the organization’s goals for the next few years are detailed. At the corner of the page is a statement confirming that the brochure “includes E3 cancellations for 2024 and 2025.” Currently, the ESA has not commented on the report.
E3 has been a fixture in the video game industry for almost twenty-five years. After COVID-19 though, E3 was put on hold for the foreseeable future. The event has been absent in the following years: 2020, 2022, and 2023. In a Gamesindustry.biz interview, the ESA was asked about their plans for E3 2024 after the 2023 event was canceled.
“We’re committed to providing an industry platform for marketing and convening,” said ESA CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis. “But we want to make sure we find that right balance that meets the needs of the industry. We’re certainly going to be listening and ensuring whatever we want to offer meets those needs and at that time, we will have more news to share.”
Summer Game Fest
Industry pioneer Geoff Keighley started his Summer Game Fest event in the wake of E3 being absent during Covid. Despite the event having to build a new reputation from the ground up, Summer Game Fest has slowly begun attracting well-known developers’ attention. In the wake of the event’s success, Geoff Keighley recently confirmed that Summer Game Fest will return in June 2024.
“After a record-setting 2023, we are excited to share some news,” Geoff Keighley said on Twitter. “Summer Game Fest will return in June 2024, including our live showcase event and Summer Game Fest Play Days from @iam8bit. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.”
Summer Game Fest will continue to share major game announcements and news in E3’s place. The Play Days event offers an opportunity for media and industry professionals to try out new games and share their thoughts with the public after Summer Game Fest concludes.
