The largest conference and media platform for the gaming business, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, has officially ended. Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO of the nonprofit trade association that represents the interests of the video game industry in the United States, announced that the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has decided to end E3, “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.”
After years of attempts to revive the event, which started in 1995, a combination of new rivals, partner withdrawals, shifting audience habits, and disruptions from the pandemic era caused E3 to fail. “We are aware of the intense love that industry players and artists have for E3. Our desire is similar,” Pierre-Louis remarked.
“We understand that saying goodbye to a beloved event is difficult, but considering the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners, it’s the right thing to do.”
These new prospects include video news conferences that stream information straight to viewers over the internet, eliminating the need for exhibit fees, travel expenditures, and tight presentation deadlines that come with attending a trade fair. Nintendo cleared the path in 2011 by introducing the “Direct” format, a live press conference that revealed upcoming titles and goods.
Geoff Keighley revealed
Due to Sony PlayStation’s decision to withdraw from the event in 2018, additional vendors and businesses withdrew as well. After working with the ESA on the show for over a year, writer and former E3 collaborator Geoff Keighley revealed that he was leaving the organization. Since then, he has successfully planned his unique events for showcases such as Summer Game Fest. Additionally, he has developed the showcase format used at the yearly Game Awards, such as the one that happened on Thursday.
Pierre-Louis gave the impression that he was well aware of the factors affecting attendance in an interview with The Washington Post.
“In the following years, fans were invited to attend, but the main focus was on industry marketing and business model development as well as informing the public about new products,” he stated. “Business relationships and customers can now be accessed by companies via a range of channels, including their own unique showcases.”
Before E3, the industry was pushed to the sidelines at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where video games were displayed. To facilitate meetings between retailers game publishers and artists, the ESA organized E3.
As an industry, we recognized the power games at the time, but many others failed to see the significant role that our sector plays in the innovation sector, in producing meaningful artistic expressions and fostering economic progress, according to Pierre-Louis.
It developed into a huge multimedia extravaganza that made news. In a thrilling 2005 presentation, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft unveiled the Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 systems, respectively. At times, the program presented viewers with the most well-known figures in the game industry, making developers and business executives household names. Game developer Hideo Kojima made a stunning presentation for “Metal Gear Solid 2” in 2000, drawing inspiration from the style of successful blockbuster movies. His legendary status as a mysterious artist was bolstered by his knack for theatrics.
