State Champ Radio E3
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Source: FREDERIC J. BROWN / Getty / E3
The zombie that was E3 finally got the blow to the head to keep it from returning. The Electronic Entertainment Expo announced via X, formerly Twitter, that it has run out of extra lives for the convention.
The great Gene Park at the Washington Post broke the story before E3 confirmed the sad news that the beloved convention born in 1995 will not return.
“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,” the Electron Entertainment Expo said in a statement. “ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA member companies and the industry workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day.”
In a post on X, E3 wrote, “After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye. Thanks for the memories.”
The once popular gaming convention has been on life support since COVID came through and shut down the in-person video game convention in 2020. The ESA tried to hand on for dear life with a virtual convention in June 2021 that everyone agreed was a mess.
The ESA did make a valiant attempt to bring the in-person convention back but failed in 2022 and 2023 due to the conference failing to attract exhibitors.
Before the then-raging pandemic officially killed E3, the convention was dying slowly. Game Awards founder Geoff Keighley, who claims he was at every E3 since its exception, pretty much assisted in taking down E3 by founding Summer Game Fest in 2020.
The last time there was an in-person E3 event, only 66,100 people came out.
Gamers Are Sharing E3 Memories
With the announcement, gamers and people in the gaming industry have shared their fondest memories while saying goodbye to the convention.
“I understand why this happened, but it’s heartbreaking all the same. E3 was like Christmas for gamers and having all the conferences take place in one week was such a treat. So many good memories spanning so many years. Thanks for everything, E3,” Sony Santa Monica writer Alana Pearce said on X.
“E3 has had a huge significance in my life,” Spawn On Me founder Kahlief Adams wrote in a post on X.
What a sad day for the gaming world. Attending E3 was a dream for me, and I was close to achieving it, only to learn this year’s convention was canceled.
So long E3.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / Getty
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Source: ESA / E3 2023
Welp, E3 2023 has been put on ice…again.
IGN broke the news that two sources confirmed with the website that the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) is canceling this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo.
The sad news comes after multiple video game companies like Ubisoft, Sega, and Tencent pulled out of the event, giving the gaming industry and gamers the vibe that E3 2023 was not happening.
Per IGN:
Two sources have confirmed to IGN that the organization announced the cancellation via an email sent out to its members today. The email said that while E3 “remains a beloved event and brand,” that 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.”
The ESA concludes the email by reiterating its commitment to advocacy work. It does not mention undertaking the show again in future years.
The ESA did confirm IGN’s reporting with a statement from Kyle Marsden-Kish, Global VP of Gaming, ReedPop:
This was a difficult decision because of all the effort we and our partners put toward making this event happen, but we had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3. We appreciate and understand that interested companies wouldn’t have playable demos ready and that resourcing challenges made being at E3 this summer an obstacle they couldn’t overcome. For those who did commit to E3 2023, we’re sorry we can’t put on the showcase you deserve and that you’ve come to expect from ReedPop’s event experiences.
The statement also claims that ReedPop and the ESA will continue to work on “future E3 events.” We shall see about that.
Twitter Says RIP To E3
Reactions to the news immediately began to hit Twitter timelines, with some users congratulating Summer Game Fest’s creator Geoff Keighley for officially owning the summer.
Keighley didn’t waste any time plugging his event after the news broke about E3 2023.
RIP E3 became a trending topic immediately, with gamers and members of video game media sharing fond memories of past E3 conventions.
You can see those tweets in the gallery below.
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Photo: ESA / E3 2023
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