Update 10.45pm: In a statement provided to Eurogamer following the City of Los Angeles Department of Tourism’s suggestion to cancel E3 shows planned for 2024 and 2025, the ESA said it is “currently in talks about E3 2024 (and beyond), and there are no final decisions on the event. It was made at this time “.
Original 10.11pm story: After the abrupt cancellation of this year’s E3 in March, new details released by the City of Los Angeles Department of Tourism suggest that the games industry trade show won’t be returning anytime soon, with shows scheduled for 2024 and 2025 now appearing to have been cancelled.
like Spotted by ResteraThe Entertainment Software Association, which owns E3, had initially booked the Los Angeles Convention Center for the weeks of June 11, 2024, and June 3, 2025 — joint dates as part of Los Angeles Department of Tourism report last October.
However, in a A new report is dated earlier this monthThe City of Los Angeles Department of Tourism included a footnote indicating that the now-planned 2024 and 2025 E3 screenings have been cancelled.
It’s perhaps not an entirely surprising development for a trade show that’s struggled to maintain its relevance in an era when most publishers prefer sharing their news on a more relaxed schedule via digital events and streaming, especially given the sudden demise of what was to be E3’s big comeback earlier this year.
E3 2023 is set to mark the grand return of a show that hasn’t had a physical component since 2019 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the event — which was run by PAX regulator and EGX (and Eurogamer parent company) Reedpop — was officially canceled in March as more and more big players in the industry either shunned E3 or backed out.
“We appreciate and understand that interested companies will not have demos ready to play and that resource challenges made being at E3 this summer an insurmountable hurdle,” Redpop said in a statement released at the time. “For those of you who have committed to E3 2023, we regret that we cannot deliver the exposure you deserve and that you have come to expect from the event experiences at ReedPop.”
With E3 2023 officially dead, ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis won’t be tempted by the show’s potential return in 2024, just say The organization was “committed to providing an industry platform for marketing and meeting,” but wanted to “find the right balance that meets industry needs.”
In E3’s absence, the Geoff Keighley-headlined Summer Game Fest has moved in to fill the void with a physical event for press and influencers, as well as a series of digital showcases – including from a number of major publishers – under the Summer Game Fest banner. Keighley has already confirmed that the event will return in 2024.
I’ve contacted ESA for comment on this latest development for E3.
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