E3 2023 was officially canceled in March of this year, and it looks like it won’t be returning for 2024 and 2025. Both E3 2024 and E3 2025 have already been canceled, according to the Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners, which recently held a meeting regarding local tourism plans. As spotted by ResetEra user Rösti, page 21 of the meeting’s digital packet notes the cancellations. E3 2023 has been dead for a few months, but it looks like this might be the final nail in the coffin.
Although E3 2023 was canceled, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and event organizer ReedPop previously claimed that they would continue to work together on “future E3 events.” Today’s news casts doubt on that claim. However, the ESA provided a statement to Axios reporter Stephen Totilo to clarify that E3 2024 may not be totally canceled. The statement could be a move to try and save face, but the company’s words still make the situation appear more dire than it seemed in March: “ESA is currently in conversation with ESA members and other stakeholders about E3 2024 (and beyond), and no final decisions about the events have been made at this time.”
The already struggling E3 truly started to reach its end when faced with COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. Despite efforts to create digital offerings, the event never really recovered in the years following. When the ESA cited a lack of industry support as the reasoning behind the cancellation of E3 2023, many believed the show was done for good. Today’s news makes it seem as though E3 is finally done for good, but you can stay tuned just in case there are any future updates.
