So, E3 has been canceled and, in all likelihood, the prophecies of doom that Jack Peachey told us about the biggest game trade show “Doom” will come true. On the other hand, Jack was absolutely right in his assertions. E3 has been patched many times over the years – from security breaches to some questionable data to support loot boxes. But on the other hand, its abolition and perhaps its death were ultimately doomed SonyAnd Nintendo and Microsoft decide they’re better off without it. And while I love the idea of E3 giving the big gun a finger and turning into a show promoting Double-A, mid-budget, and indie games, I don’t think the pride of the E3 organizers would allow such a downsizing.
And the “big three” in gaming are right: they are We are Better off without E3, but gamers aren’t. Not having the event would give Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony more control over which narratives they’re willing to push — and they’d give the games entirely over they from where they time in they which will be broadcasted online to showcase their products in the best possible light.
The strange circumstances of the pandemic, where every game fair has been launched online, have proven not at all embarrassing and strange for the big game hardware makers. In fact, they’ve proven so perfect that they’ve decided to stick with them – online events, no public hands-on opportunities, and not having to face competitors head-on. It’s so perfect, in fact, that I like to imagine the Big Three meeting by candlelight in a grand Masonic lodge, donning animal robes and masks while drawing blood and shaking hands, and coming to a secret agreement that they’ll forgo E3 togetherand destroy the trade fair forever.
Far from the deep nostalgia I feel when watching videos like the one below, E3 had a profound purpose that feels more important today than ever, and that provides a neutral arena in which we gamers can directly compare each console’s offerings. Every year at E3, the gaming press and community pick winners and losers from the show, the big hacks, the big surprises, the insane PR blunders and the ugliest presentations; No other show – be it Gamescom or the Tokyo Game Show – has had nearly the level of scrutiny, pressure, and raw competition that E3 did in its heyday.
The direct direction of competition meant that every platform, every publisher, really had to bring an A-game (or triple-A game, yes?), because right next to them was a competitor vying for audience attention. There was a time when I was he did not do Appearing at E3, suspicious eyebrows will 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 its own against its competitors.
If every console platform was its own feudal lord, and housed its own exclusive games, its own banner, and its own rules with the safety of its castle walls, then E3 was the once-a-year great jousting tournament, hosted on neutral ground, where the publishers and makers had to from across the land to emerge from safely behind their walls to face their rivals before an audience of boisterous and boisterous peasants and peasants (these are the players, in this analogy). Moving forward, we’ll now move to the online-only castle grounds of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, where they can set everything up on their own terms in State of Play, Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, and Nintendo Direct.
This extends to the likes of Ubisoft (who also got in on the way of announcing a no-show at E3 after it was clear the show wasn’t going to go on) and EA, who will also be hosting their own events, presumably with a safe amount of time in between so audiences aren’t drawn to the kind of comparisons they make. We used to love doing them at E3.
More than ever, the narrative is in the hands of platforms and publishers.
Of course, Jeff Keighley, organizer and host of increasingly popular online shows like the Summer Games Festival and The Game Awards, would be wringing his hands in glee at his rival’s downfall. Naturally, he’s already tweeted what seemed like a cute little E3 eulogy at first, before kicking the death show to the balls in the next paragraph, slamming it, and delivering its own Summer Games fest as the heir apparent to the E3 crown.
And while Summer Game Fest will undoubtedly be a slick, shiny showcase for upcoming games, it’s primarily an online event, with limited in-person tickets available and no playable games at the actual event. It will be broadcast online, and you will be able to purchase tickets to see the show in iMax; It’s a much more complex issue entirely, but one that is – for better or worse – tailor-made for the Internet age. Meanwhile, the Game Awards have become the equivalent of gaming’s Oscars, a far cry from the E3 arena where publishers and console manufacturers face each other head-on.
The downfall of E3 seemed inevitable for a good while – and many saw it coming – but for all its organizational and public relations shortcomings over the years, no show has held quite the same malaise. a race admire. Losing the Games’ great dueling tournament, where competitors left everything on the sticky showroom floor, takes a precious chunk of power away from the players.
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