The ESA has today announced to its members that E3 2023 is cancelled. In an email shared with IGN, it is revealed that the event "did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry".
A statement from ReedPop reads: "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 show looked increasingly unlikely to go ahead over the past week as companies like Ubisoft pulled out of the event while SEGA and Tencent confirmed they wouldn't have a presence. Another IGN report published on Tuesday spoke of much uncertainty surrounding the event, from organisers and also the publishers themselves. "Several described the situation as one where everyone was waiting for someone else to be the first to jump, but no one was willing to take the leap – and time was running out," it was claimed. This has indeed led to the expo's cancellation this year.
Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest is now left as the only major event — for both media and enthusiasts — to turn to for news and extensive gaming coverage. It's set for June, with a live event full of reveals and announcements planned.
[source ign.com]
Comments 75
Would have been unthinkable twenty, thirty years ago. Times change, but it's still a shame.
And within minutes Geoff Keighley did a tweet about Summer Game Fest. Let the body go cold Geoff. Crikey!
Writing was kinda on the wall. When everyone pulls out, there's nothing to show.
That must be it cancelled for good now.
Shame, it really was a fun watch back in the day.
Sad about it... But times change.
it was coming for a long time but it's still a real bummer. RIP to one of the highlights of my year once upon a time :')
It's a shame, but I can't say I'm surprised. It's been on shaky ground for years.
This was going to be the first-ever E3 I attended. Having dreamt of going for over a decade, I'm pretty gutted by this news even if it was going to be bad.
It’s depressing and the final end of an era. But we all knew it was coming. It’s been on life support since 2018.
Have such wonderful memories of E3 back in the day.
The suspension, excitement and revealing of consoles and games.
The cheers and gasps of the crowd the euphoria.
RIP E3 I shall miss the old days shared with you.
@LiamCroft aaaaand now we know why they canceled. Thanks for that.
Good. Don't bother bringing it back, like, ever.
Sadly this has seemed inevitable for some time, the last true show was 2019 and even then it was already in decline as they've all realised they can make their own online events, then Geoff kind of killed it off digitally.
I'll always have fond memories of buying magazines and reading all about what's been announced and seeing all the pictures but sadly those days are long since gone
Bye bye E3, fun whilst it lasted
@kyleforrester87 You can blame me haha
This is a shame. Not only for the loss of a time when gaming was less overtaken by corporate predation, but also because what E3 has been replaced with is far worse in my opinion.
We now have a several bloated hours long trailer fest masquerading as an awards show and festivals, along with basically shorter versions of the same in the form of publisher/developer showcases. These haven't often resulted in extremely deceptive marketing practices and unfinished and misrepresented games.
Truly a bummer, especially when the platform I once held to such a higher standard of gaming culture now actually does the least in terms of consumer outreach, fan service, or even development based on fan demand.
Said it many times and said it when it was first announced. The amount they charge for the booths and spaces, were talking a good 30-60k for a space area (blank floor) and probably good few 1000 for a small shell booth, I couldn't imagine these companies thinking it was a good idea... It's just not profitable when they can do an online showcase.
@LiamCroft you should go get a job at Activision Blizzard 😂
E3 isn’t E3 without Sony and Nintendo.
Every since Sony and Nintendo left I know it would end soon.
Good Riddance
@LiamCroft sucks to read that mate. maybe you can do PAX?
I get why, but I used to enjoy watching it. Still sucks.
Shawn Layden was right. The ESA never listened and this is what it has come to.
Now we're stuck with Keighley but hopefully Sony and some others bring live events back at some point. I get the directs, state of plays, etc but nothing beats those big events!
E3 had become increasingly irrelevant as more and more stuff was shown on the Internet.
Ever Sony dropped out and the Saturday through Tuesday marathons of press conferences started to die down, E3 stopped being relevant to my circle of friends and me.
It is such a genuine shame but it was inevitable hopefully we get something like PS Experience back in the future because these digital showcase things and SOPs don't have the same as corny as it sounds magic as the big live shows
Always sad to see E3 die again...I have so many good memories on this site and even before on IGN and Gamespot, both tabs open seeing demos after demos. Missing classes to see the event...
Oh well, at least Sony will give us a big presentation...oh wait
Just echo the thoughts of everyone else really. It's a real shame but it's not unexpected unfortunately. I'm sure they tried really hard to get it off the ground, but it was a losing battle IMO.
Why didn't E3 just make great games to showcase? Are they stupid?
E3 was excellent at its peak. And I personally prefer the huge bombardment of gaming news over a few days instead of it being more spread out. It's a shame it's gone, though not surprising.
Xbox fanatics and phil spencer have stated that it hasn't been cancelled ,because it didn't exist in the first place 😏
Unfortunate but sadly expected. There was just no way they were going to have enough content to really put on any kind of show.
Here's hoping Keighley can pick up the slack.
Honestly I think it's a real shame that companies gave up on this. I get times have changed but it now means the week of announcements is gone forever. Why would Xbox, Nintendo and PS ever time their announcements to be within days of each other? Obviously they wouldn't and won't going forward.
I'll miss it alot personally.
@itsfoz Live feed of Geoff Keighly.
Now all we'll be left with are boring and corporate, hyper sanitized presentations. Might as well just watch trailers at that rate, no reason to catch them live. At least ol Geoff is still kicking.
I bet that xbox dude who says "WORLD EXCLUSIVE" is gutted
Boy those Monday mornings after E3 were the perfect Video Game news Buffet, I really miss it.
I just can't Geek Out over state of plays, the pageantry just isn't there.
That was fast.e3 was my thing.i enjoy it a lot.and sony not there made it not being special anymore.word up son
@Gremio108 because media moved slow then. That worked too their advantage. They didn't evolve and felt like the industry needed them. The first and biggest nail in the coffin is Sony realizing that they didn't need e3.
Pretty pointless today as the internet has replaced the 'need' for trade shows. Companies don't need a trade show to speak to the press and tell them what they have in store for the season ahead and into next year so they can spread the message to Gamers through their media, they can now do their own show when and where they want and speak directly to the gamers - bypass the Press and hassle of a Trade show...
It did become an institution and kick off the 'exciting' season of game releases and gaming events but it's no longer 'relevant' as proven by many now opting to do their OWN show as and when it suits...
Sad but inevitable. One step nearer to never leaving the house, though!
I never cared much for E3 as it has been an extremely dated concept for a long time now. I would prefer just getting surprise game announcements all year around instead.
An end of an era. As we all know E3 has been on the decline for years but it was at its peak back in the early 2000’s, it was THE main gaming event back then but as others have said, times have changed and the internet has played a massive part in it.
Even though Geoff Keighley has his Summer Games Fest and other publishers have their own events to showcase their games, the internet can still be their undoing as leaks can undermine their events and anything they reveal will be considered old news and of no surprise.
I’m just curious why they said “E3 2023” is cancelled. Like, are they planning on renting out floor space for E3 2024 any time soon?
To quote Eminem - you're too old, let it go, its over
Sad but not surprising.
Sony put it in the hospital.
Covid put it on life support.
Xbox pulled the plug.
RIP.
Never again will we hear the question, ‘Who won E3?’
Lol watch them try again next year instead of just killing off E3 completely… it’s done, over, DEAD. The members might want to start looking for a new job.
Geoff is loving this 🤣🤣🤣 Its sad though as i loved the hype and talk around that time, its a shame its came to this.
We knew it was coming, but it's still sad to see.
I used to pour over the screenshots from E3 in GamesMaster magazine back in the day.
I have an old GamesMaster VHS of E3 highlights from 98 or 99 hanging around somewhere. Might dig it up for a watch over the weekend.
I used to rewind the 30 second footage of Resi 3 over and over.
Ah well.
It is what it is.
Kinda sad but expected. I hope the Summer game show announces some big bangers. RIP E3
@tallythwack “PLEASE WELCOME THE HEAD OF XBOX” “ EXCLUSIVE” “WORLD PREMIERE”
Honestly will anyone miss E3? Now a days companies do their own showcases so games aren't as "lost in the mix" if you want to put it that way.
Further more, maybe it's just me, but I don't get excited about games getting a trailer 3 years before it's release.
The demise of E3 isn't too say games are getting smaller, companies are just more savvy in how they market their products.
The point is we aren't losing anything...
@LeeHarveyOzgod I’ll miss it… it was the only time during year I took time off from work or school.
@Cutmastavictory Exactly, in a world where everything is instant, there's no need to spend a fortune on a show presence when you can just chuck a video on youtube and everyone goes crazy. Plus everyone is more aware of the carbon footprint of such events these days. It's outdated in many ways I suppose. I'll still miss it though, or rather, I'll miss what it once was. I wonder if we'll ever see it again, maybe in a different form? It needed to adapt, like you say.
“did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry"
“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.”
That’s a strange way of saying “Nobody bought tickets” and “No publisher wanted to pay us for floor space.” 😄
But seriously, E3 time used to be one of my favourite times of the year. We got to see lots of cool games that were going to be awesome!
But after growing up and becoming more cynical due to games either: not living up to the expectations set by trailers; releasing before they’re ready; releasing stuffed with season passes and microtransactions; or not releasing at all — the magic had worn off a while ago. Publishers and hardware makers backing out were already killing E3’s necessity — COVID put the last nails in the coffin.
It was great for its time, but that time has passed.
I don't think anyone besides some gamers who are still nostalgic for E3 would even notice.
It's become an irrelevant thing as the modern age of streamed events became a thing. It seems like nobody waits for big shows for announcements anymore and just announces whatever whenever they feel like it. News travels fast and anyone is capable of putting a presentation out there.
don't care. The physical staged show was probably just not worth the money, and that's fine. We all watch game announcements on the Internet through various channels. That will continue as normal.
@Impossibilium Here's the thing, those games aren't going anywhere. You just don't get a sneak peak 3 years early.
E3 has outlived its usefulness and should stay dead.
RIP E3 it was a fun ride.
Very sad. Bye E3
It was a long time coming but it still sad to see E3 go. I remember staying up all night to watch it when I could actually get away with that. And I -huh - remember reading about it on magazines as a child. Sympathies to everybody who tired to make it happen this year, I hope your jobs are not on the line. You will be missed, E3!
Why didn't they just rebrand? That seems to be the way to pump some extra life into things these days.
E3 has been dead for over half a decade and anyone who didnt see this coming must have been living under a rock.
I remember it's better days with great fondness, but everything changes and its clearly been irrelevant for many years. If they had kept it trade only i believe it could have retained some relevance, but trying to open it to public consumption made it simply unviable any more and little more than an expensive 'jolly' for those that got sent there. RIP E3
This is what happens when you charge exorbitant fees for console manufacturers, publishers, and game creators to show off the latest gadgets, games, and consoles.
I'm a geezer, I remember when EGM announced the Very first Electronic Entertainment Expo waaaay back in the day.
So, when’s the next PlayStation showcase?
@LiamCroft I do feel for you Liam. But your 10 years too late...
@Titntin I wasn't writing for a website back then, only 18 at the time
@LiamCroft One of the few times in my life where it feels good to be an old man
The first E3 was in 1995 - I was already 31....and a games developer, so I got a lot of insight from it and other trade shows.
@LiamCroft Sorry you weren't able to attend! There's always the next gaming convention though, when is PAX West?
Loved E3 during the PS4 days, but understand why Sony pulled out after putting so much into 2018 and getting ridiculed for the multi conference room show. Journalists complained, and Sony said “screw this”. Rightfully so.
I used to take the week off and watch GameSpots coverage of E3 from the show floor, then watching GiantBomb and shortly after that it got less and less interesting, as fewer and fewer did show floor stuff, so I just kept watching the showcases. I have really been missing them and was looking forward to it this year, but alas I'll have to settle for Summer Game Fest.
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