This time it’s confirmed, and the announcement does not surprise many people. The 2023 edition of E3 is officially canceled, whether in its physical version or online.
But could it be otherwise? When, last July, the ESA announced a return to the show in physics, not many people believed it. Difficult to act as if nothing had happened and resume the same pattern as in 2019. This model was already very dated even before the pandemic came to give it the final blow. Few companies can justify spending thousands of dollars on a salon. Whether it’s the studios having to pay staggering sums for a small square meter of exposure. Or the journalists who sometimes come from the other side of the world, always being able to have their meeting canceled at the last minute because a Hollywood or Internet star was passing by.
Especially since in the meantime, the Summer Game Fest has arrived. And good old Geoff, who didn’t wait to draw his Twitter account and shooting the E3 ambulance with a weapon of war was a game-changer. He has created a huge communication channel, which he dreams of as a gravedigger of traditional media, where everyone meets to make their big announcements. Through the Summer Game Fest therefore, but also the Game Awards.
A much more affordable exercise for studios – even if the costs remain very high – who can dream of having their few minutes of glory in the busy period of June. For those who want to keep some human contact, there are therefore traditional Gamescom, PAX or GDC. Last major physical gatherings in which developers can interact with the community. As for E3, there is little chance that it will really come back one day.