Recently, we received news that many of us have seen coming for some time. Despite announcing an in-person return in June of 2022, the Entertainment Software Association officially canceled E3 2023. After that, reports of cancellations in 2024 and 2025 abounded, signaling trouble for the expo. And now, E3 has made the decision to shut down permanently. The once prominent gaming convention is canceled for good.

Per Variety, The Entertainment Software Association, the group that ran the convention, shared, “After more than two decades of hosting an event that has served as a central showcase for the U.S. and global video game industry, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has decided to bring E3 to a close… ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA member companies and the industry workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day.”

The last E3, or Electronic Entertainment Expo, took place in 2019. Then, of course, COVID-19 prevented them from occurring in the following years. E3 intended to return in person in 2023, with an event slated in Los Angeles in June. However, in recent history, big gaming companies such as Nintendo, PlayStation, XBox, and Ubisoft revealed they would not attend. This, of course, caused a swirl of rumors that E3 would not take place as planned, and these reports proved to be true.

E3 has been officially cancelled
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IGN shared in June 2023 that the Entertainment Software Association sent an email to its members noting that the 2023 event “simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry.” And, additionally, an official document from the Los Angeles Tourism Board of Commissioners indicated “E3 cancellations for 2024 & 2025.” 

Ultimately, the canary was singing loudly in the coal mine this time. E3, once one of the central events of the video game industry, has now been permanently canceled.

Originally published on March 30, 2023.