And two decades later, it says goodbye: the E3 has died

For many of us, E3 brings wonderful memories. Video game announcements, nights filled with excitement, nerves before the conferences, arguments about which developer had won… and now all of this will be nothing but dust in the stars.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3 for its abbreviation, which was once the biggest convention and media platform in the video game industry, has officially died.

“After more than two decades organizing an event that has served as the central showcase for the American and global video game industry,” the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has decided to put an end to E3, as stated by Stanley Pierre-Louis, president, and CEO of the nonprofit trade association representing the interests of the video game industry in the United States.

pic.twitter.com/y6dtVkBvNI

— E3 (@E3) December 12, 2023

Reasons for a foretold death

A mix of new competitors, partner withdrawals, shifts in audience habits, and pandemics have caused the collapse of E3, ending years of attempts to revive the event that began in 1995.

“We know that the entire industry, both players and creators, feel a great passion for E3. We share that passion,” Pierre-Louis declared. “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.”

As you know, among these new opportunities are PlayStation Direct, Nintendo Direct, and Xbox Game Showcase, which have become increasingly popular since 2020.

E3 is officially dead

'“After more than two decades of hosting an event that has served as a central showcase for the U.S. and global video game industry,” the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has decided to bring E3 to a close'https://t.co/iLMgWljbKL pic.twitter.com/ZVxyqgqeZL

— Wario64 (@Wario64) December 12, 2023

In 2011, Nintendo paved the way by creating the “Direct” format, a video conference for news announcements about new games and products.

In 2018, Sony PlayStation’s decision to withdraw from the event triggered a domino effect, leading other vendors and companies to also pull out.

Just over a year later, former E3 collaborator and journalist Geoff Keighley announced he was no longer assisting ESA with the fair. Since then, he has successfully designed his own independent events like the Summer Game Fest and the recently introduced The Game Awards.