So,E3 has been cancelled, and in all probability theprophecies of doom uttered by our Jack Peacheyabout gaming’s greatest trade show ‘dying’ are going to come true. On the one hand, Jack was absolutely correct in his assertions. E3 cocked up multiple times over the years–from security breaches to some iffy statements in support of loot boxes. But on the other, its cancellation and likely permadeath was ultimately sealed bySony,Nintendo, andMicrosoftdeciding that they’re better off without it. And much though I love the idea of E3 giving a finger to the big guns and turning into a show promoting double-A, mid-budget, and indie games, I don’t think that the E3 organisers’ pride would allow for such a downscaling in importance.And the ‘Big Three’ of gaming are right: theyarebetter off without E3, but gamers are not. The lack of the event will give Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony greater control over the narratives that they wish to push–they will present the games entirely ontheirterms intheirtime attheirshows, which will be streamed online to show off their products in the best possible light.The freakish conditions of the pandemic, where every games expo went online, actually proved not to be so awkward and freakish at all for the big console makers. In fact, they proved to be so ideal that they’ve decided to stick with them–online events, no public hands-on opportunities, and not having to face off directly against competitors. It’s so perfect, in fact, that I like to envision the Big Three meeting by candlelight in a grand masonic lodge, wearing robes and animal masks as they draw blood and shake hands, coming to a clandestine agreement that they’d all ditch E3together, and destroy the trade show for good.RELATED:10 Best E3 Presentations Of All Time, RankedBeyond the profound nostalgia I feel when watching videos like the one below, E3 had a profound purpose that feels more important today than ever, and that’s providing a neutral arena in which us gamers could directly compare the offerings of each console was offering. Every year at E3, the gaming press and community would pick their winners and losers of the show, the big breakouts, the big surprises, the crazy PR blunders and cringiest presentations; no other show–be it Gamescom or the Tokyo Game Show–had nearly the level of scrutiny, pressure and raw competition as E3 did in its prime.The directness of the competition meant that every platform, every publisher, had to really bring their A-game (or triple-A game, yeah?), because right next to them was a rival vying for the audience’s attention. There was a time when if youdidn’tmake an appearance at E3, suspicious eyebrows would be raised; there’s a good reason why during the dark days of the Wii U, in 2013 and 2014 Nintendo hid behind the safety of pre-recorded online presentations–because their console couldn’t hold a light up to its rivals.If every console platform is its own fiefdom, harbouring its own exclusive games, its own banner, its own rules with the safety of its castle walls, then E3 was the great jousting tournament held once a year, hosted on neutral ground, where publishers and manufacturers from across the land had to come out from behind the safety of their walls to face off against their rivals in front of a public of loud and rowdy plebs and peasants (that’s us gamers, in this analogy). Going forward, we’ll now be ushered into the online-only castle grounds of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, where they can prepare everything on their own terms at State of Play, Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, and Nintendo Direct.This extends to the likes of Ubisoft (who alsogot in on the E3 no-show announcementway after it was clear the show would not be going ahead) and EA, who will also be hosting their own events, presumably with a safe amount of time between them so that the public doesn’t draw the kind of comparisons we used to love doing at E3.More than ever, the narrative is in the hands of the platforms and publishers.Of course, Geoff Keighley, organiser and host of increasingly popular online-savvy shows like the Summer Games Fest and The Game Awards will be rubbing his hands in glee at the fall of his rival. Naturally, he’s already tweeted what seemed like a sweet little eulogy to E3 at first, before kicking the dying show in the balls in the next paragraph, criticising it, and plugging his Summer Game Fest as the heir apparent to E3’s crown.
And while Summer Game Fest will no doubt be a nice and glossy showcase of upcoming games, it’s primarily an online event, with a limited number of in-person tickets available and no playable games at the actual event. It will be streamed online, you’ll be able to buy tickets to watch the show at the iMax; it’s an altogether more sanitised affair, but it’s one that’s–for better or worse–tailored for the online age. The Game Awards, meanwhile, have become gaming’s equivalent of the Oscars, and are a far cry from the E3’s arena in which publishers and console manufacturers would face off against each other directly.
E3’s downfall has felt inevitable for a good while–many have seen it coming–but for all its organisational and PR flaws over the years, there was no expo that had quite the same frisson ofcompetitionlike it. The loss of gaming’s great jousting tournament, where the competitors left it all on that sticky showroom floor, takes a precious bit of power away from the gamers.
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