E3 is Officially Dead

[Raging Justice]

https://gamerant.com/e3-cancelled-dead/

https://www.gameinformer.com/news/2023/ ... ially-dead

[BoneSnapDeez]

kinda bummed out tbh. I don't play many modern games but it was a fun hypey thing.

[emwearz]

I always enjoyed the hype as a teenager, late 90's early 200's was just wild.

I can see how it became obsolete over time, but I will miss it, though it has felt like it had been on life support for years.

[prfsnl_gmr]

They need to bring back CES.

[marurun]

I think the only real industry-centric events are in Japan at this point, with BitSummit and the Tokyo Game Show, and the latter is both consumer- and industry focused. And in the US most gaming events are purely consumer- or fan-centric.

[Raging Justice]

Going to an E3 was one of those things on my checklist of stuff I'd like to do in life. Guess it'll never happen. Oh well, it is what it is. Things sure have changed a lot in the last few years.

Remember when booth babes were still a thing? They're gone now. E3 is gone now. Times have changed.

[Reprise]

E3 dying was quite predictable. Towards the end it really was a shadow of its former self and I guess Covid really exacerbated and sped up its demise.

It is sad though. I used to love E3 as a kid. Reading the gaming magazines in July and August each year and catching up with all the amazing announcements and news was so exciting each year.

Then in later years, obviously we could start watching it on the internet and seeing trailers, announcements and gameplay first hand. Companies would save big announcements and pull out all the stops to "win E3". It was like Christmas for gamers.

2015 was the last "great" E3 I remember. That was the one where we had The Last Guardian re-announced after years of it being in limbo, along with Final Fantasy VII Remake being announced followed up by Yu Suzuki coming on stage to launch a Shenmue freaking 3 Kickstarter.

Remember when they used to announce the new consoles at E3 too? That was also really exciting. I think Sega bucked that trend with the Dreamcast by announcing it a few weeks before E3 and then showing off more details at E3.

Yeah, sad news. But not unexpected.

[bmoc]

Sad news indeed. I still have my GamePro that chronicled the first E3.



For those who don't know, GamePro was one of the driving forces of the first E3. Video game companies were unhappy with their treatment at CES so the owner of GamePro decided to make his own CES with blackjack and hookers booth babes. I always wanted to attend an E3 but by the time it opened up to the public, I thought it was too expensive for being able to play a few demos.

I actually enjoyed their eventual consumer focus at the last, online-only, E3 in 2021. Finally, I was the target audience and not the media. Seems like they were too slow to adapt though. Then Geoff Keighley swooped in and made a more economical, unashamedly consumer-focused version of E3 (Summer Game Fest). Then The Game Awards became a Winter-E3. There are valid criticisms of The Game Awards, but I'm honestly only there for the trailers and announcements. Kind of like Super Bowl commercials back when I had live TV.

I'll miss E3 being a thing, but if I am being honest with myself, the replacement(s) are more in line with what I was always hoping E3 would become. Shame that I never got to play those prerelease demos or rub elbows with a celebrity or two.

[SamuraiMegas]

The smash bros brawl reveal was a core childhood memory for me. Can't beat that old G4 era gaming news/events. Was always my favorite way to watch e3.

[Syndicate]

...yeah, E3 dying kind of sucks, especially after looking forward to and catching all of the info and etc from the show for so many years. The direct presentations are cool I guess, even if those don't have the same vibe.