The ESA (Entertainment Software Association), the organisation behind E3, has parted ways with ReedPop after 2023's show failed to get off the ground. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the two parties had signed a multi-year contract to collaborate on the industry exhibition in an attempt to bring it back to its former glory. However, with this year's show a no-go, the companies have made a "mutual decision" to cease the partnership.
This news leaves E3's future up in the air, to some extent. Plans for an E3 show in 2024 haven't been cancelled, but according to the report, it will not be taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is its usual venue. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the ESA is working on a "complete reinvention" of E3 for 2025.
ReedPop, which runs annual events such as PAX and Comic Con, is done with E3, then, but there doesn't appear to be any bad blood between the companies. "We have enjoyed our time working with the ESA and appreciate their commitment to the games industry as a whole," says ReedPop's games events head, Kyle Marsden-Kish. "While we will not be involved with the future of E3 we look forward to seeing its evolution and where the ESA takes it."
ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis says he appreciates "ReedPop’s partnership over the past 14 months and support their ongoing efforts to bring industry and fans together through their various events".
So, it sounds like E3 2024 is still very much in flux, but that the show may be totally overhauled for 2025 and beyond. With Geoff Keighley's Summer Games Fest going a long way to fill the gap, it'll be very interesting to see how things shake out over the next couple of years.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 27
Yes, keep beating the dead horse!
E3 is like a running joke at this point. They've been telling us it's coming back for about five years in a row now!
E3 is dead but if they want to try and keep it alive maybe hold it somewhere cheaper.l
They'll be back with the paddles on the rotting corpse's chest again next year.
Sadly E3 is a relic of a bygone era, and at this point it feels like it's best to just let it go
There are so many things I don’t understand about E3.
How did it die on the first place? What made developers hate it? Why did the public turn against it? How do they keep failing to revive it?
It’s all so messed up. And I’m sad to see a part of my childhood/youth disappear because of gaming politics and mismanagement.
'Put a fork in E3 because it is done'. The way the organization behind E3 are trying to save it reminds me of someone trying to raise the dead. Let E3 have a dignified ending and not this.
If someone brings the hammer I will gladly bring more nails. I have all the nails necessary to bury this thing. can we please bury E3?
DonE3.
come up with some other idea to celebrate games. E3 is just a name at this point, and the sooner the ESA let's it go, the better.
The ESA needs to find a niche in the gaming community and target that. I'm sure they have data that they can use to their advantage.
but bye E3! 2025 isn't gonna happen for you either.
@Kienda E3 was created as an elitest con where writers got to go and fans were barred. every year they wrote about the lengths plebs would go through in order to sneak in. Writers would gloat with pages dedicated to all of the loot they got to have and the arly access they got to experience.
Then PAX came out and just opened it to everyone at a price. then the internet got popular and news didn't need gatekeepers any more. Then streaming/youtube became popular and developers could just buy positive word of mouth from them. they could bypass any last vestiges of integrity the journalism industry pretended to have.
Then E3 died.
that is it's story. I left out the current timeline where ESA grovels and embarrasses themselves every time they write a paragraph. that one doesn't need a narrator.
Make it 1-2 day studio or small private event with press demos. No need to hold a giant event any more. Or just merge summer game fest and e3 and call it e3 summer games fest.
Instead of trying to force E3 to be useful in present day by "reinventing" it I wish they would just let it rest already. It's done.
🗑 <<<the only place
@Kienda In addition to E3's closed viewings, Sony stopped appearing because of the timeslots they would be fit into didn't work in their favor. So it became mainly Microsoft or Nintendo showing up. Once the 2020 lockdowns happened, companies realized having their own showcases like Nintendo Direct was far cheaper. Without Nintendo and Microsoft present, there's little reason to have in person events outside of Comic Cons now when you can view the same stuff online.
@InsaneWade Nintendo stopped first, everyone has since followed Nintendo's footsteps. Given how inaccurate most gaming "journalists" are (most can't even tell you Xbox went 3rd party or what an exclusive game actually is) and the Internet being much quicker at relaying information directly into consumers homes, it was the obvious next step. Microsoft was the final holdout because Phil Spencer keeps thinking he can hold a monopoly over the industry, but thankfully like E3 Xbox is finally dying too.
@rjejr
Thank you so much. Was scrolling to see this posted.
It’s clearly over. They just need to say it.
The name E3 has a curse on it now. Just change the name.
Never really cared about who hosted the events, only about the games present.
The gaming industry as a whole is a bubble ready to burst
I miss e3.it was and still is a big part of my childhood.i watch the very first e3 in 1995 here in queens new york.playstation was always there.now its a thing of the past.its crazy.a lot of good things are no longer here.word up son
I miss the glory days of e3. It was great, 3 days of absolute hype, everyone bringing their best to the show, the audience hype, dev interviews, gameplay demostrations with devs, etc I loved it!
I don't think what we have today matches it. The very occasional state of play, dull live shows, Geoff Keighley's head everywhere. Its like a long fart streching out for an entire year.
@CieloAzure Well somebody had to. I've been wafting for E3 to be finally really dead for like 15 years. 😂
https://mcvuk.com/business-news/events/all-change-again-for-e3-2008/
ESA can try to bring back E3 all they want. Every single major publisher has withdrawn support and is unlikely to return. Why should Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, EA, etc. pay huge sums to participate in an event they don't control, when they can just do their own thing and not have to compete with each other for screen time?
@ShogunRok Well, sometimes people just need a lil break to reevaluate the situation.
I’m just glad I got to go to E3 one time and that I did it right and partied the whole time we were there. I have nostalgia for E3 since I’ve followed it since it’s inception in 95’ so part of me would like to see it be successfully rebooted but then another part of me says that Geoff has things under control with SGF and that having a huge show like E3 really isn’t as necessary as it once use to be thanks to the technology we have today. 🤷🏻♂️
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