Ava Brooks 
Dec 13, 2023
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) gaming show, once the biggest event in the gaming calendar and primary showcase for new games and technology, has been permanently cancelled.
A statement released by the organisers stated, "After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye."
"Thanks for the memories. GGWP [good game well played]," it added.
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The 2023 E3 had already been called off following analysts’ claims that it had "struggled to remain relevant."
The development of permanent dissolution of future E3 events was confirmed to the BBC by the industry body Entertainment Software Association (ESA) which ran E3. The last in-person E3 was held in 2019.
Game developer Hollie Bennett posted on her account on X (formerly Twitter), that it was "hard to sum up the impact E3 had on the industry." It’s "sad" to see E3 "fizzle out," she added.
"Your year almost revolved around it!", she wrote. "Nothing generated buzz like E3 did."
E3 in its prime
The E3 came into being as a trade show in LA in 1995, shortly after the launch of the PlayStation and the year before the Nintendo 64 was released.
The 2005 E3 brought the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and a prototype of the Nintendo Wii. The event was its best-attended ever, as per the gaming website IGN having 70,000 visitors.
However, E3 became less relevant following the rising popularity of bigwigs in the gaming industry, including Nintendo, Ubisoft and Sony, who started launching new games at their in-house expos
But as big players such as began launching new games at their own in-house events, E3 became less relevant and struggled to attract the exclusive announcements it once had.
The cancellation of the 2023 event was being attributed to a lack of interest from people within the industry.
"The death of E3 is a significant moment for the games sector," research director for games at Ampere Analysis Piers Harding-Rolls told the BBC.
"In its heyday E3 was viewed as an unmissable event and was hugely important for pre-launch buzz and the reveal of upcoming games and products. From a nostalgia point of view, it is sad to see it go," he added.
