Stanley Pierre-Louis, the president and CEO of the Electronic Software Association, explained the reason behind the ESA’s decision to cancel E3 2023. While this cancellation marks the end of an era where E3 was the biggest gaming event worldwide that developers and editors couldn’t afford to miss, the ESA director remains optimistic for the future of this event and its place in the industry.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, has been a staple in the gaming industry since its creation in 1995. This event, taking place annually at the Los Angeles Convention Center, was one of the largest gaming conventions in the world and saw developers and editors announcing their upcoming projects, from the introduction of the first PlayStation in 1995 to the 2003’s Half-Life 2 demo or the debuts of Reggie Fils-Aimé at the head of Nintendo of America. While E3 was the largest event in the industry, the COVID-19 pandemic changed this dynamic. E3 2020 was canceled, the following edition took place exclusively online, and E3 2022 was scrapped altogether. As gaming fans eagerly awaited the return of this event in 2023, the ESA announced that E3 2023 was canceled due to a lack of sustained interest.
In an interview with Christopher Dring from GamesIndustry.biz, ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis explained this decision to cancel E3 2023. Pierre-Louis declared that the goal of ESA was to serve as the voice of the gaming industry in the US and that the company tried to provide developers and editors with an improved platform for the return of E3 in 2023. To produce this new version of the event, ESA partnered with ReedPop, a company that operated major events including PAX and Comic Con. However, despite this partnership, E3 2023 failed to convince major gaming companies to attend the event, ultimately leading ESA to cancel this edition of the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Despite the cancellation of E3 2023, ESA remains hopeful regarding the future of this event. Pierre-Louis noted that the gaming industry was an evolving landscape and that ESA will review the E3 formula to make sure it answers the needs of the industry. ESA will keep on providing developers and editors with a platform to share their upcoming projects, but as the market changed its priorities in terms of game development and economics, E3 may change its format in the future. As other in-person events are coming back, such as the Summer Game Fest, Pierre-Louis remains hopeful as to the future of E3.
The cancellation of both the digital and physical versions of the event didn’t come as a complete surprise as several major companies announced skipping E3 2023 in the past few days. ESA hasn’t yet confirmed whether E3 would be back in 2024 but the company is looking for new ways for the industry to showcase its innovations.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz