The E3 2024 in-person event has been canceled after the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) informed the Los Angeles Convention Center that it would not be holding a show at that location. In the meantime, reports suggest that the company is looking to reinvent E3 once again in time for the 2025 show.
E3 2024 could still happen, just not in a physical space
While the in-person event has been canceled at its normal venue, E3 2024 has not been canceled outright. The event could still go ahead in a different form and could be a digital show akin to that seen in 2021 when digital showcases from many different publishers were accompanied by an online portal and supporting app.
Despite earlier rumors that both E3 2024 and E3 2025 had been canceled earlier in the year, GamesIndustry.biz reported that the ESA is “working on a complete reinvention of the E3 show for 2025.” However, this reinvention will no longer involve ReedPop, the company behind PAX and New York Comic-Con, which has now ended its relationship with the ESA following a “mutual decision” to part ways.
ReedPop had signed a deal with the ESA to relaunch E3 beginning in 2023. However, despite plans to hold both in-person and digital events this year, they were all canceled due to a lack of interest and the fact that many developers and publishers just wouldn’t have been ready on time. Now, ReedPop will no longer be involved in any future E3 events. ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis gave a statement on the matter that thanked ReedPop and contained a look into the future.
We appreciate ReedPop’s partnership over the past 14 months and support their ongoing efforts to bring industry and fans together through their various events.
While the reach of E3 remains unmatched in our industry, we are continuing to explore how we can evolve it to best serve the video game industry and are evaluating every aspect of the event, from format to location. We are committed to our role as a convenor for the industry and look forward to sharing news about E3 in the coming months.
Only time will tell what the future holds for E3, but bearing in mind the event hasn’t run since 2021, its future doesn’t look bright. Summer Game Fest, which rose in E3’s absence, has also only been growing over the years.
