GamesIndustry.biz has reported that the ESA and Reedpop have split for E3. This comes after the event was canceled last year due to a lack of interest from development and publishing partners worldwide. The partnership between the two companies was announced on July 7, 2022, just weeks after the canceled E3 2022 was supposed to take place.
Earlier this Summer, we reported on the rumor that E3 2024 and E3 2025 were both canceled. The ESA declined to comment on the matter, however, this now rings true with today’s news.
ReedPop and ESA Part Ways
The only confirmation thus far is that E3 2024 has officially been canceled in Los Angeles. The ESA confirmed to the Los Angeles Convention Center that it will not hold an event there next year. While the event has not been canceled at this time, E3 2024, if put on, will not take place at the LACC. You can read more from the ESA and ReedPop heads below via GamesIndustry.biz:
“We appreciate ReedPop’s partnership over the past 14 months and support their ongoing efforts to bring industry and fans together through their various events,” said ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis.
“While the reach of E3 remains unmatched in our industry, we are continuing to explore how we can evolve it to best serve the video game industry and are evaluating every aspect of the event, from format to location. We are committed to our role as a convenor for the industry and look forward to sharing news about E3 in the coming months.”
“We have enjoyed our time working with the ESA and appreciate their commitment to the games industry as a whole,” says ReedPop’s games events boss Kyle Marsden-Kish.
“While we will not be involved with the future of E3 we look forward to seeing its evolution and where the ESA takes it.”
While the ESA and ReedPop won’t be working on E3 together, it is the ESA’s intention to bring back the event and revitalize it in 2025. It is said to be a “complete reinvention”.
Summer Game Fest Returns in 2024
In classic Geoff Keighley fashion, the man behind Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards reminded fans after today’s news that Summer Game Fest will return next June. It will be interesting to see where Keighley takes the event next year, especially consider the uproar in complaints from both fans and press over the summer.
