File:Why E3 2023 Crashed and Burned So Hard.webm

English: E3 2023 has been cancelled, meaning that we're now had four years in a row of the Electronic Entertainment Expo being cancelled. While the show may well return in the future in some form, its organisers at the ESA have made it clear that they're evaluating the gaming landscape and the needs of the industry. If and when E3 returns, it'll be a very different beast.

Those who are involved with the show have not been shy about explaining what went wrong. Basically, E3's usefulness as a trade show has been watered down as it has grown in popularity as a fan convention (despite the fan convention part of the show generating millions of dollars in revenue). With the rise of social media, many games companies question why stacking their biggest announcements alongside their competitors to be judged by the public is a good idea.

Why go to E3, when you can reach a similar audience with a dedicated YouTube Nintendo Direct?

This is bad news for any company that isn't as large and powerful as Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft. The biggest losers with the cancellation of E3 will be the games studios that aren't big enough to earn a lot of attention on their own, and who rely on the expo as a networking event.

At the same time, other events like GDC and Gamescom have become more useful for this kind of networking as E3 has been retooled to cater more for fans. If comments from the ESA are to be believed, they expect that if E3 does have a role to play in the future of gaming, it'll be a lot less about new game reveals and industry networking.

Lots of love, BretonStripes and Kotor

Sources for this video: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/in-the-end-the-industry-just-didnt-want-this-e3-opinion https://www.gamesindustry.biz/e3-2023-is-cancelled-esa-tells-us-why https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/06/11/e3-history/

https://kotaku.com/e3-2023-canceled-why-nintendo-sony-microsoft-la-rip-1850285780