On Tuesday, the Entertainment Software Association announced that E3, once the biggest video game showcase on the planet, is officially dead.
“After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye,” said the Entertainment Software Association in a statement on the E3 website. “Thanks for the memories.”
E3’s website contains that announcement followed by GGWP, gamer-speak for “Good Game, Well Played” to the community it served for over 20 years. Following pandemic delays, the ESA canceled the Electronic Entertainment Expo for the last two years after major companies like Nintendo and Sony began reducing their presence there or pulled out entirely. Many video game publishers realized they could put on their own conferences in a hyper-controlled setting they stage themselves. After a rocky couple of years, E3 has officially come to a close.
“We know the entire industry, players and creators alike have a lot of passion for E3. We share that passion,” said President and CEO of the ESA, Stanley Pierre-Louis in an exclusive with The Washington Post. “We know it’s difficult to say goodbye to such a beloved event, but it’s the right thing to do given the new opportunities our industry has to reach fans and partners.”
E3 gave the world its first look into the latest and greatest video game advances and was a cultural touchstone for the community. In 1995, Sony showcased its premiere Playstation console that would cost $US100 less than its competitor, the Sega Saturn, ushering in a new era of gaming. In 2017, Ubisoft’s Davide Soliani broke into tears when his Nintendo idol, Shigeru Miyamoto praised his work on Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
But the Electronic Entertainment Expo also produced some hilarious moments at the expense of video game executives. In 2006, another Sony executive stood awkwardly on stage while his PSP (Play Station Portable) struggled to load up, and he exclaimed the game he was playing, “Riiiiidge Raaacer!” with little reaction from the audience. In 2007, Nintendo of America president got on stage to showcase the Wii Balance Board, and right before stepping on, he shrugged and told everyone “my body is ready.”
These awkward flubs made many video game publishers want to host their own showcases, instead of coming to E3 where their highly paid executives were turned into memes. However, E3 represented a cultural staple for the video game community; an event with no modern comparison. At the Gizmodo office, we’re all pouring one out for E3 today.