E3 has been on its last legs for a while.
The announcement that it’s canceling this year’s digital event may be the final nail in the coffin.
And I suspect, more than likely, forever.
First came Nintendo cancelling its traditional stage conferences for prerecorded Nintendo Direct presentations.
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Case rates were still rising in June, so E3 was a no-go.
The ESA put out a statement committed to come back all the stronger in 2021.
The next year came, and the variants came too.
It was too risky to put on a public show, so E3transitioned to an all-digital showcase.
As a hasty make-good, it had echoes of the in-person show, but it wasn’t the same.
Studios couldn’t solicit real-time feedback from fans and journalists.
Whatever utility E3 had remaining after going through such dramatic changes was blunted severely by an all-digital show.
It hastened the realization of what could be donewithoutit.
Some developers relished being no longer beholden to a strict calendar for creating their presentations and vertical slice demos.
They might just conclude they don’t need you anymore.
The ESA is planning a “reinvigorated showcase” in 2023.
It’s possible the organization will pull it off and bring the show back in full force.
We might still see ostentatious booths and massive crowds stuffing themselves into the Los Angeles Convention Center yet again.
Now that they have, what purpose does E3 serve?
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