After being held virtually in previous years, the E3 fair it was face-to-face again in 2023. But the absence of Sony, Nintendo and MicrosoftIt has been too much for the organizers. E3 2023 has been canceledand it is not known if he will return.
Regardless of the circumstances, the end of E3 also closes an era of the video game industrywhich has lasted almost 30 years.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo It premiered in 1995, and quickly became the most popular video game fair. It was celebrated in Juneso the big companies took the opportunity to present the titles that they would launch at Christmas.
It was a time when still few people had internet, and the video streams were science fiction. YouTube videos were still poor in quality, and most people could only access them on a slow connection.
In those years, most gamers got information through video game magazines, which made a killing selling the issue with the news from E3.
E3: the pandemic changes everything
Over time, the Internet and the virtual world spread, but E3 continued to be celebrated with interest. They were times of economic prosperity and companies could afford it.
But then he took the covidand face-to-face fairs were canceled. With the streaming boomcompanies realized that they could capture the same attention by putting on a virtual presentation, and advertising their products through social networks and influencers.
This year the face-to-face fairs have returned… but exhibitors are no longer interested. In the past MWC 2023 the bombings of yesteryear did not take place, and after the announcement of the new E3 2023 face-to-face, the giants Sony, Microsoft and NintendoThey declined the invitation. Without them at the fair, interest would plummet.
The truth is that It is no longer worth it for companies to set up a stand at a fair, bring hardware, products and employees, and do a live presentation. It is too expensive, and we are in the midst of an economic crisis. They’re going to get the same range with a virtual presentation when they see fit, and for much less money.
It also influences that video game creation cycles have changed. Everything used to revolve around Christmas releases, so an E3 in June was a good time to announce them.
Now video games are released all year, the terms are different. Even if Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony had wanted to attend the fair, possibly some of them would not have anything interesting to show.
Seeing all the companies wearing their products at the same time had something magical, and also competitive and pique. “Who has won E3?“was a question he used to ask himself. Now they release products when it suits them, and that magic has been lost.
The cancellation of the E3 2023 fair is sad news, due to the nostalgia it entails. But times change, and face-to-face fairs will only make sense when the economy is doing well. As an extra, not as a necessity.