E3 Officially canceled is not the news we wanted to hear, but it is now finally confirmed. And this seems to be the final straw for the once-large industry event. As of now with what was supposed to be the largest return, has fallen flat. And it seems like truly the death of this show and the end of an era.
So to start many were notified as the ESA prepared to make the official notification early on May 30th. Posted on the official E3 Twitter account, which you can see their post below. They also sent out emails stating that both the ESA and Reedpop are canceling both any digital and Physical events.
This is on top of the fact that the VP of Gaming at Reedpop, Kyle Marsden-kish also released the following statement to IGN:
This was a difficult decision because all the effort we and our partner put towards 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 demoes 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 your deserve and that you’ve come to expect from Reedpop’s event experiences.
– Kyle Marsden-Kish, VP of Gaming, Reedpop
Without E3:
This is news comes on the back of other large publishers recently announcing their departure from the event this year. Publishers like UbiSoft, SEGA, and Tencent most recently. Alongside the big 3 already announcing that they would not be there. Xbox is holding a local event at their Microsoft Theater just around the corner from the LA Convention Center. Each of these companies was able to hold well-done digital showcases for their fans. As well as, in Xbox’s case, made special collections with their partners and for devs to release digital demos for fans at home to play. Allowing their games to be in front of more people and helping raise interest.
All this is Combined with the growth of Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest. Which started back in 2020 when E3 was originally canceled and came in to fill the gap. He noted in a tweet, that he saw the changing in the industry and its global reach. And E3 just wasn’t changing to what it needed to be. With his rapid growth for both the Game Awards & Summer Game Fest, it seems right.
All of this coincides with the rising costs of hosting a booth at E3 and the growing logistics of increased costs, along with global inflation. We here at Lv1 had spoken with a few devs ourselves and heard similar tellings.
The costs of booths were just not worth it. Plus within the past few years, that the show just wasn’t what it once was. All this on top of a lack of communication for plans this year, had many feeling a loss of interest in E3. With more opting to either do their own digital showcase or to focus attention on other events Such as Gamescom, PAX, or some cases Tokyo Game Show.
What’s Next?
With so many compounding issues rearing their head it’s no wonder that things were changing. In an industry that is constantly evolving shows need to be able to adapt to this change as well. And right now with Geoff’s foresight for the future, as well as with companies all doing their own thing. It almost seems that E3 canceling was an inevitability.
And with Summer Game Fest growing very well, it is very possible to become the new big summer event. But for now, time will tell. In the meantime with E3 officially canceled it has left many remembering the good times. Let us know down below any of your favorite memories from E3, or if you ever had a chance to visit.
-Jess (Bloodieknux)
Hey everyone hope you enjoyed my thoughts and breakdowns in the article above. You can keep up with my thoughts & shenanigans by following me on all my social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, & Youtube.
