E3: The once biggest video game trade fair is shutting down for good

Since 1995, the Electronic Entertainment Expo has attracted the world's biggest and most important video game developers to Los Angeles every year. This is now over forever, as E3, as it is commonly known, is being discontinued. 

The signs that such a move is imminent have increased in the recent past: The once most important video game trade fair has become less and less important over the years, before the global Covid pandemic brought it to a complete standstill. E3 was supposed to return as a proper trade fair in 2023, but was then canceled - and now it's over altogether.  

The end due to digital events

In a statement to the Washington Post, Stanley Pierre-Louis, President of the Entertainment Software Association, confirmed the discontinuation of E3. The ESA has been the organizer of the trade fair and has fought for years to ensure that the event, which takes place regularly in Los Angeles, regains its former strength. Now the organization is abandoning this idea. 

"We know it's difficult to say goodbye to such a popular event, but it's the right decision given the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners," says Pierre-Louis. The ESA President is presumably referring to the many digital events that publishers organize to address their own fans directly.These include, for example, Nintendo Direct editions, which are usually published independently of an ongoing trade fair.On the other hand, E3 has received unexpected competition in the form of Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest due to the cancellations in recent years.The Game Awards presenter now hosts his own show in the summer months, in which publishers present their latest games. 

Source: www.4players.de