The Entertainment Software Association announced that the Electronic Entertainment Expo, popularly known as E3, is officially dead after more than 20 years. E3’s official website now displays a final farewell message.
Before the permanent closure of E3, event organizers ReedPop and the ESA formally split due to lack of interest from development and publishing partners worldwide. The situation looked even more grim with hollow promises of E3 2024 and E3 2025 taking place, with the catch that it would no longer be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Just three months after this particular development, E3 is officially dead.
E3 is Dead – A Slow and Steady Decline
E3’s collapse did not happen overnight. The decline began when Sony Interactive Entertainment, also known as PlayStation, pulled out of E3 in 2018 in favor of hosting its own digital events. Following a massive consumer data leak, The Game Awards showrunner Geoff Keighley also announced he would no longer participate in E3 in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic dealt one of the most decisive blows in E3’s future as well, making E3 2019 the last in-person event held by the ESA.
Although the ESA attempted to host E3 digital events in 2022 and 2023, the lack of interest in such an event from an evolving games industry ensured that a new E3 event would be next to impossible. The ReedPop partnership was promising at the start due to the company’s expertise in running PAX, but this too did not prove to be enough for E3’s return.
The official E3 website now reads, “After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye. Thanks for the memories.”
— E3 (@E3) December 12, 2023
“We know the entire industry, players and creators alike, have a lot of passion for E3,” said Entertainment Software Association president Stanley Pierre-Louis told The Washington Post. “We share that passion; We know it’s difficult to say goodbye to such a beloved event, but it’s the right thing to do given the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners.”
