Earlier this year, Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo announced they wouldn’t be attending E3. This sparked rumors and speculation that the lack of these big names would mean the show wouldn’t work. It turns out that was the case, and it has been announced that E3 will not be returning after all.
Unnamed sources were the ones that revealed this news to IGN, but it originated from an email from the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) sent to all members. This E3 would’ve been the first in four years after the last show took place in 2019, then got sidelined due to COVID-19. While it might not have been the final nail, it was only earlier this week that Ubisoft also gave notice that it wouldn’t be taking part in E3, either.
The widely watched events like State of Play from Sony and the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase have apparently shown that they don’t need a physical appearance at the trade shows. While it’s no longer the only expo of its kind, E3 was one of the earliest, having started in 1995. Though the majority of those years were industry-only events, it was still the source of some of the biggest news in gaming.
None of this is to say that E3 couldn’t possibly return as a digital-only event, considering the success of Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, which has only been going since 2020. For the moment, though, fans will have to set their sights on other shows happening this year, such as Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show.
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