Once the biggest video game showcase in the world, E3 is now confirmed to be canceled for the next few years.
E3 has been struggling since the worldwide health crisis left in-person events scrambling. E3 was finally going to return this year, but a lot of big names dropped out, forcing the event to be
canceled back in March. But the latest news is looking even worse for fans of the iconic video game show.
Leaker Wario64 recently shared a document from the Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners that seemed to spell the end of E3.
Why is E3 canceled?
During the Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners’ regular meeting, it was announced that E3 was being canceled for 2024 and 2025. A slide called “Citywide Convention Sales” showed that E3 was not bringing in enough tourists.
The response to the news was mixed, with the gaming community torn on the future of E3. Some felt it should be held in a cheaper city — maybe even Canada — while others felt there was no need for something like E3 at all anymore thanks to virtual showcases.
E3 was first held in 1995, now 25 years ago, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. For years, E3 was seen as a massive showcase for video games, with journalists clamoring to get sneak peeks of massive releases and hands-on experiences before launch.
Unfortunately, E3 ran into trouble in 2019 when many attendees’ private information was doxxed, impacting content creators and journalists. Then E3 was canceled in 2020 along with almost every other major in-person event. Since then, E3 has been struggling to return, but big names like Sega and Sony started to back out in favor of hosting their own online showcases. This switch to proprietary events was likely the death knell for the event, though a future reboot of E3 isn’t entirely off the table.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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