E3 Is Officially Dead 1

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, is officially dead. A statement on the official website simply reads: "After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye. Thanks for the memories."

In a report by the Washington Post, the Entertainment Software Association — which organised E3 each year — has confirmed the exhibition won't be coming back. President and CEO of the ESA Stanley Pierre-Louis, shared the news that the show is coming to a close "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".

E3 began in 1995 and has been a mainstay in the gaming industry's calendar. It started purely as an event for publishers and developers to market their games to retail buyers and the press, but was eventually made more public-facing, and invited fans to the showfloor too. With increasingly larger and more expensive press conferences from the likes of Sony, Microsoft, and Ubisoft, it slowly became too big to properly please industry pundits and fans.

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, E3 has failed to make a meaningful return to form. In the last few years, new competitors have emerged and major publishers handle their own presentations themselves. The writing had been on the wall for a while, but now the show is officially done.

"We know the entire industry, players and creators alike have a lot of passion for E3. We share that passion," said Pierre-Louis. "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."

It's definitely a shame to see E3 shut down completely. Even though it faltered in later years, it's an iconic part of the games industry, and has played host to some incredibly memorable moments, both good and bad. It was a dinosaur, but we'll absolutely still miss it.

Are you sad to see E3 be cancelled for good? Tell us in the comments section below.

[source e3expo.com, via washingtonpost.com]