It seems like E3’s death isn’t so final…or maybe it is…but do we really want the show back?
Did the world bury E3 a little too quickly? Some think so, others say no. Today, it is difficult to know who is right and who is wrong, especially given the latest developments. A few months after the cancellation of the 2023 edition – for no particular reason – the tourist office of the city of Los Angeles brings new elements.
Video game fans are aware that E3 took place in physics every year before the disruptions linked to the pandemic. ESA’s favorite venue is the Los Angeles Convention Center, run by the Department of Tourism. It turns out that the programming of the latter has just changed. Reservations for E3 2024 and E3 2025, dated in June for each year, have also just been canceledsuggesting the very definitive death of the video game show.
And yet, things are not that simple. Following this discovery, the organizers of the event wanted to react. Indeed, the ESA indicates that it is “still discussing where E3 2024 (and beyond) will be, and no final decision has been made on that yet.” Why so much suspense, and more importantly, do gamers still want E3 back?
Is E3 a thing of the past?
If the situation remains tense despite a return announced a few years ago but never materialized, it is because the E3 was until now an almost untouchable institution. Standing since 1995, the show brought together publishers, journalists and gamers of all kinds each year to celebrate video games, share them but also live them through ads, each crazier than the next. Before the pandemic, the event was known for containing the biggest games of the coming year, spectacular staging and top-notch entertainment.
Then the Covid-19 turned everything upside down, and like in many areas, video games gradually went digital. The world has realized that digital events bring together as many, if not many more enthusiasts, and that they cost much less. E3 therefore quickly became obsolete, “too unprofitable” or even “more up to date”.
Today, most gamers seem at peace with the idea of an E3 that is no more. The success of the Summer Game Fest, entirely online and free for publishers except for the opening ceremony, is further proof that the hybrid or entirely digital format is more attractive. In addition, the event will return in a new edition next year, as announced by Geoff Keighley. Short of a complete revamp, it is hard to see how a model that is almost 30 years old could continue to be relevant in the future.
