It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for many that has finally ended as the ESA, the parent company of the once great gaming meca, has confirmed that E3 is officially dead. That’s not for lack of trying to bring it back, and the ESA even tag-teamed with Reedpop, and then eventually parted ways in September 2023.
After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye.
Thanks for the memories.
The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) posted on the official E3 Twitter account that E3 won’t be coming back, despite its efforts earlier in 2023 to bring it back and pledging that it would be back for 2024. I suppose it was just too much to do the impossible, given that it would face an uphill battle with the various digital-only events that have taken over ever since E3 disappeared, no thanks to the coronavirus.
I’ll be honest, I’m going to miss it. Despite being invited to E3 for multiple years, I finally got to go in 2017. It was the year that Dragon Ball FighterZ was revealed, and where I got my first hands-on with it, as well as Gundam Versus, Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, and the biggest of the bunch, Destiny 2 on PC!
It was a fantastic time, as I had never traveled outside my tri-state area. Then here I was, traveling to California to attend and cover a gaming event I’ve wanted to go to ever since I was younger. I’ve always wanted to return, but the coronavirus made that impossible and eventually killed off the event. It sucks.
At least we still have The Game Awards and various PAX events to fill the void. Right? Right???