E3 won’t return in 2025 nor will it return ever again. The ESA has confirmed that the popular gaming expo which took place once a year in Los Angeles and played host to a number of industry-changing announcements, has been permanently cancelled.
The ESA has struggled to bring E3 back since its last trade show in 2019. While the COVID-19 pandemic was the final nail in the coffin for the show, it was already struggling to stay relevant before the global lockdown prevented in-person events. Back in 2019, both Sony and Microsoft decided to ditch the show and it left a large void in the attendance. Sony wasn’t present at all while Microsoft hosted an external event outside of the trade show.
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E3 kicked off back in the 1990s and it gained popularity over the years. It was the annual showcase for games and the world watched as Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and large publishers all announced new hardware and games. If anything, the gaming industry is where it stands today thanks to E3 so it is sad to see it go.
Since the official ESA announcement, many developers and personalities from around the world have chimed in on the news. Many of them expressed disappointment with the cancellation. Cory Barlog shared his memory of debuting the first-ever God of War game on the show floor. The show then became a staple for all future God of War announcements including the industry-shifting 2018 release.
E3 was scheduled to return in 2024 with a partnership between the ESA and Reedpop. However, the two entities parted ways due to so-called “creative differences”. The ESA said it would look into hosting E3 2025 but sadly, that won’t happen.
was on the floor showing the demo of the very first god of war so many years ago and got to see how excited people were to play this new weird game starring the angry guy with chains. truly changed my whole outlook.
both loved and hated this show.
RIPs to the E3.
🥃 🫗❤️ https://t.co/cymAG0rRJN
— the fake cory balrog (@corybarlog) December 12, 2023
