Despite its best efforts to come back swinging this year, E3 was ultimately canceled, with the impression that we will see the event potentially return next year. Now thanks to a new report, the future of the event is looking rather grim.
Information from the Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners, details that it looks like E3 2024 and 2025 have been canceled, ultimately painting a rather bleak picture for the future of this industry event.
Related: Why Was E3 Canceled? Explained
New report from LA City Tourism Board seemingly confirms the events will not be returning
This news comes from the Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners, which has posted its information following a recent meeting. This included details on convention sales and business in the city. Within that information, a brief note on page 21 of the documents says, “* Includes E3 cancellations for 2024 & 2025,” hinting that the event could be canceled for the foreseeable future or has finally been laid to rest.
The ESA or Reedpop, the event organizer, have yet to release an official statement. That said, this information doesn’t seem too surprising or wouldn’t make much sense to be included if the expo was still planning to go ahead.
E3 hasn’t been doing well the last few years, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, its struggled to find its footing. Things weren’t looking good after being canceled in 2020, hosting a lackluster digital event in 2021, and then being called off again in 2022. Despite the ESA and Reedpop’s best efforts to bring the show back in 2023, a lack of interest from both publishers and fans saw the show canceled yet again. Now with it looking to be scratched yet again, it’s hard to see the event making a comeback at all, especially with publishers and companies taking to hosting their own events and showcases or moving to Summer Games Fest.
Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt, as the ESA has not officially confirmed it, and this may be projections or stipulations on the part of the LA City Tourism Board or other factors we do not yet know. But regardless, it doesn’t paint a good picture of the event’s future.
While it had many high points, the event’s relevancy has declined in recent years, and for many, this news will likely signal the final nail in the coffin for this industry mainstay.
