E3 is dead. Again. This time probably forever given the circumstances. Many people have many feelings – a strange thing for normal people, since that was the case an industrial fair– but one thing to remember with all the honors and dunks is that E3 didn’t do badly on its way to oblivion. Its demise is exactly what the world’s largest video game companies wanted.
Yes, it had its own problems regardless of who organized the show. Downtown LA sucks. The show’s exclusive focus on the industry gave it a shine that was always a little too high uncomfortable to be together. Whether it wanted to be a fair for developers and dealers or an announcement party for the world’s media was never reconcilable. downtown LA sucks.
However, what started killing the show was none of those things. These things were inconveniences to those in attendance that couldn’t give a shit to those of you reading/watching from home. E3 began dying when big companies like Nintendo and Sony began reducing or withdrawing their presence there altogether, and that had nothing to do with the limited dining options around the Los Angeles Convention Center.
These companies, from platform owners to major publishers, that real Stars the E3 experience, weren’t really presenters at a trade show. They were gladiators. At its peak – if you think that was across locations and decades – E3 only ran for a handful of days, but in that time hundreds big announcements would be made, from new hardware to AAA reveals, each vying for the public’s attention. If there’s one thing that defines E3 beyond “press conferences,” it’s that every event and show has its own list of “winners” and “losers,” compiled by forum posters and international media alike. The ‘winners’ could bask in the glory and use it to increase awareness and sales, while the ‘losers’ could risk being forgotten.
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Why on earth would any big corporation risk being a gladiator? Why would they consider a scenario where the success of their billion dollar company could be jeopardized by some kids deciding a game trailer or new hardware feature is “meh”? Why would they bother s itting down with the gaming press to answer questions when they could just send out press releases?
It’s no surprise that big companies who dropped out at E3 killed them. What’s surprising is that it didn’t happen much sooner! As we’ve said before, there’s nothing big video game companies like more than being able to control the entire sales process, from announcement to pre-order. Anything standing in the way of those sales is an obstacle to overcome. So if E3 risked having their games overshadowed by those of their competitors, then of course they would leave, and as enough companies left the show they never survived.
They no longer have to pay for large E3 press conferences, they can simply film their own presentations and show them on a day when there is no competing news. You don’t have to walk around with journalists for three days and answer any questions you may have now and then uncomfortable when they can easily get influencers to hype their games live on Twitch and YouTube. And every time they do, the incentive to pre-order their product—often from their own online store—isn’t far away. The feeding ramp is polished to a high gloss.
