The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced the end of E3 for good, 28 years after the first event took place.In a statement shared on X/Twitter and with the Washington Post, the ESA said it had decided to “end” the Electronic Entertainment Expo after more than two decades.“After more than two decades of serving as a central showcase for the video game industry, ESA has decided to end E3,” the statement reads. “ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA member companies and the industry workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day.”pic.twitter.com/y6dtVkBvNI— E3 (@E3) December 12, 2023 In March, IGN reported that almost a year after announcing its return, the ESA had cancelled 2023’s E3. At the time, the ESA said the 2023 version “simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry.” It did not mention undertaking the show again in future years.This year’s event was supposed to be held from June 13-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the show’s home for many years, and would have been the first in-person E3 since 2019. E3 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and while a digital version was held in 2021, E3 was canceled again in 2022 in an effort to focus on a “revitalized showcase” that would set a new standard for hybrid industry events. We now know this will never happen.E3 began life in 1995 with a show at the LACC, and stayed at the venue throughout its near 30-year existence apart from a two-year sojourn to Atlanta in 1997-1998. It became synonymous with big video game announcements at flashy press conferences. Historically, the likes of Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft would show up to E3 with on-stage reveals that would send shockwaves throughout the gaming community. From Shigeru Miyamoto appearing on-stage with a Hylian shield and Master Sword during Nintendo’s E3 2004 press conference to reveal Zelda Twilight Princess, to Sony’s generation-defining PS4 game sharing announcement, E3 is remembered for bombastic video game news.However, in recent years more and more video game companies walked away from E3 to do their own thing, even before the pandemic. Nintendo and Sony now use digital events such as Nintendo Direct and State of Play to announce most of their new products, leaving Microsoft one of the few video game companies that remains committed to making announcements at physical events.In truth, The Game Awards has become a de facto E3, with each December show packed with the kind of video game announcements once reserved for an E3 press conference, alongside a smattering of awards.Image credit: Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesWesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
