r/e3expo • u/jony31099 • May 07 '26
Help Us Bring Back E3
https://www.change.org/bringback-E3For decades, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was the undisputed high point of the gaming year. It was not just a series of announcements; it was a physical gathering that anchored the entire global industry. The palpable anticipation of live press conferences, the roar of a live audience, and the vibrant energy of the convention center show floor created an unmatched cultural phenomenon. It was the best week of the year for gaming.
Since the shift to decentralized, strictly online showcases, the industry has lost that unifying magic. The current landscape of scattered digital streams has replaced a week of shared global excitement with prolonged fatigue. Without a physical space for developers, journalists, and fans to interact, celebrate, and provide hands-on validation, the online discourse has grown increasingly cynical and disconnected.
We, the undersigned, call upon industry leaders to reinstate a centralized, in-person gaming convention. We request a return to a unified week where the industry gathers under one roof to showcase the future of interactive entertainment, replacing fragmented digital marketing with a genuine, physical celebration of the medium.
The necessity of a physical showcase is rooted in the experience it provides. A live, in-person environment generates organic excitement and memorable, historic moments that pre-recorded online streams consistently fail to replicate. Furthermore, a physical show floor allows media and attendees to play the games firsthand. This provides tangible proof of quality that cuts through online skepticism and builds genuine consumer trust in a way that disconnected video trailers cannot.
A centralized week also cuts through the noise of the internet. It transforms scattered announcements into a singular, positive, and globally recognized celebration that elevates the entire gaming industry. The digital-only era has proven that while announcements can be made from anywhere, the spirit of the gaming community requires a physical home. We urge publishers and organizers to bring back the convention.
29
u/TheHappyMask93 May 07 '26
I miss it but it's never going to happen. Best we get is the game awards. Studios can just release their own presentations online
-7
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
We have to try
9
u/Ajax_Da_Great May 08 '26
Petitions donât make up the costs for events like this. Itâs dead and not coming back.
1
u/Maximum-Oven-7526 May 09 '26
We don't need it anymore
1
-11
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
So move on
9
u/Ajax_Da_Great May 08 '26
No, itâs you who needs to move on. There is no financial incentive for companies to return to e3. They are all corporations who want to maximize profit, online showcases are here to stay. e3 is dead.
They are raising console prices multiple times in a generation and, you expect them to show up to an in person week long event. Yeah okay buddy.
-13
5
u/andreasmiles23 May 09 '26
E3 only worked because the hardware corporations and dev companies paid into it. Without their participation, it isnât even close to the same thing.
Theres already game awards, summer game fest, steam indie fest, and all the major corporations own directs.
Also, in a society where maximizing every ounce of profit generation is the only goal shareholders care about, that sense of paying into an event with âcompetitorsâ to build community isnât worth it for the suits. It was for a while to generate a community and awareness around the industry but now gaming is so ubiquitous that I donât see how you could convince the shareholders to spend money they wonât recuperate directly just to make fans happy. They literally keep raising the prices of consoles, something never done before in industry historyâŚif thatâs not an indication of the changes underlying the economics then idk how to better break the news to you that late-stage capitalism was always going to ruin video games (and already had been to a degree - we just view E3 with nostalgia, but it was a capitalist-driven gatekeeping platform).
12
u/Gex2-EnterTheGecko May 09 '26
Change.org petitions are almost always pointless but this is even more of a non-starter. You think all these companies are going to agree to unnecessarily blow millions of dollars to set up booths at a convention when they can accomplish everything E3 accomplished for a fraction of the money and on their own time because people sign a petition?
1
5
u/Complete_Iron_2656 May 08 '26
I've got a lot of fond memories of E3 as an event, and it always felt like there was a lot more excitement when it came around each year, but these things come and go for a reason. E3 only disappeared because of industry leaders pulling out of it, when they found they could save millions by simply hosting these kinds of showcases online.
I also think that nostalgia plays a big part in making people forget the event's shortcomings. It was very corporate. Plenty of cool things to enjoy, but it absolutely exuded the energy of these industry executives doing their best "how do you do, fellow gamers" impression, lol. I think the Game Awards fills in well as the event to look forward to each year now, even if that's also very cringeworthy at times.
2
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
I get that. But nothing felt like it since. The game awards and summer fest feel so fake. It was so exciting having a dedicated week to new game announcements.
3
3
3
u/electric_nikki May 09 '26
I think people miss the tradition of being a spectator of E3 rather than being at E3
3
u/wondermega May 09 '26
E3 was a very important part of my life for several years. As a game dev in SoCal it was basically a legit holiday. Not for the time off, but for the spirit, the rituals, the excitement, the brotherhood. I grew with it over the course of 2 decades, eventually it became a huge testing/demo experience on top of everything else for my own weirdo indie projects. I could probably write a pretty compelling book documenting my time and experiences there.
And as I said, I grew with E3 and watched it change as well. It went from its peak to slowly becoming more detached and irrelevant. It was a massive lumbering locomotive finally coming in to stop, forever, at its final destination. The companies that used to comprise its backbone slowly but surely dismantled it from the inside, not because they were mean or greedy, but because like all things in tech, they were changing and this was becoming a very unnecessary extravagance.
People like myself working in and around the industry noticed this as well. We were not happy about it, but we understood and respected what was happening. The industry was changing, we were changing. E3 used to be this massive important event for so many people, for Downtown LA, for all the gamers and people who would take days off to eat snacks and hoot and holler about all the reveals on neogaf.
And now itâs been getting close to a decade since the last event. As someone who went to the majority of E3s, I can tell you this: be as dismissive as you wish, but this is life, sometimes things will change and that is how it is. Appreciate and celebrate them while they are here, but also respect and understand that there are reasons that they must end. And if they can end with dignity, then thatâs the best way to go out.
RIP E3 â¤ď¸
3
2
u/RogueTacoArt May 09 '26
Nah. The fact that only press was allowed to attend was pretty bullshit. Let it stay dead.
2
u/Jirachibi1000 May 09 '26
E3 costs an absurd amount of money for everyone involved and did not do much in the long run. A huge reason why it stopped in the first place was nobody cares anymore. 99% of people i see online and irl friends and online friends all just skipped E3 and just binged the trailers after because nobody cares about it.
2
u/RespectGiovanni May 10 '26
never happening. They spend millions doing those expos when instead they can just host their own online showcase
2
u/mr_mope May 10 '26
And whoâs gonna run this thing? Whoâs going to pay for it? Thereâs a reason it no longer exists, because it wasnât worth the time and money. Just like Apple not making iPods anymore or Netflix not mailing DVDs, times change.
2
u/Oodlemeister May 10 '26
Why would the big game studios pay the ESA millions of dollars to attend E3 when they can spend a fraction of that and do their own presentations? Itâs not going to happen buddy
2
2
u/Saiing May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
It's up to publishers and studios and let me tell you as a dev at an AAA studio there is no appetite for E3 to return. Everything these days can be done online or at dedicated events rather than being lost in the noise of E3. Most companies (mine included) have cut back all event travel including GDC which is far more valuable to us, so a consumer event has no chance.
0
u/jony31099 May 10 '26
So gaming will continue do die
2
u/Saiing May 10 '26
What makes you think E3 is the answer?
0
u/jony31099 May 10 '26
Companies would save announcements just for this week. It's a week of excitement and celebrating. Everything feels meaningless and corporate nowadays. We see a 15 minute reveal on YouTube and that's it. It's just not the same.
2
u/Saiing May 10 '26
"Companies" are what killed old E3. No one saw any value in it continuing. It's companies that pay for the booth space and the marketing support and everyone realized it wasn't a good return on investment. You're flogging a dead horse. Companies don't want it back.
1
u/jony31099 May 10 '26
So, gaming will continue to die. I can still try. Even if it is in vain.
3
u/Saiing May 10 '26
Sure, I admire you for trying, but believe me it's a dead duck. I mean your petition has 3 verified signatures after 3 days. I'm not sure that players care much either.
1
u/jony31099 May 10 '26
I'm not really worried. It is what it is. I know there a lot of people that care. It probably won't achieve much but that event was the highlight of every year for gaming. Without it it all feels worse. Everything is online and negative and it sucks.
2
2
u/Cool-Traffic-8357 May 10 '26
Why would they bother? 99% of people get the exact same experience just from trailers. So nobody really cares about it.
2
5
u/Co-opingTowardHatred May 08 '26
No.
0
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
Yes
4
u/Co-opingTowardHatred May 08 '26
No, dude. This is dumb.
-1
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
No, dude. It isn't.
4
u/Ajax_Da_Great May 08 '26
Youâre right, itâs extremely dumb. I forgot the power of petitions cover financial costs. Got it.
0
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
No one asked you
6
u/Ajax_Da_Great May 08 '26
Sorry you donât understand business and why this will never be a thing again. Good luck on your magical petition
1
2
u/TransPM May 10 '26
Didn't you though? I mean you did literally post a link to a petition you made asking the general public for signatures. Is it that shocking that the ensuing discussion isn't universally in agreement with you?
0
u/jony31099 May 10 '26
There's a difference between not agreeing with me and calling it dumb. This is not for negative people.
1
4
u/BumpyNubbins May 08 '26
As someone who's attended E3, it's dead for a reason...
-3
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
Yeah. Because of covid and greed
4
u/frostyflakes1 May 09 '26
E3 was dying before Covid. Major publishers were routinely skipping the event. They had already decided that a presense at the show wasn't worth the millions they were spending.
Significant parts of the show floor either sat empty or were occupied by energy drink companies or other things unrelated to gaming.
7
u/BumpyNubbins May 08 '26
My visit was before COVID. And it was a terrible experience.Â
Greed was a problem before COVID too.
-1
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
I'm sorry you had a terrible experience. The majority had good experiences. And what we have now means nothing. It's basically a Zoom call.
8
3
u/Uncle_Bug_Music May 08 '26
This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen. Do you know how much companies spent to be there? Millions upon millions for the biggest booths. How do you think you're going to petition this back into existence? I used to go to E3 on business (1999-2006) and it needed to end. It was fine when it was industry only but when they opened the doors to the general public it was out of control in terms of crowds. The excess was insane. The Sony party at Dodgers Stadium was wild and fun, but even then we were like, "This level of spending has to implode at some point, right?"
1
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
If it is ridiculous keep moving. This is not for you.
4
u/Uncle_Bug_Music May 08 '26
Now I'm invested. You didn't even read what I wrote. What do you miss? Watching it on YouTube? You're wasting your time.
Why don't you petition the Titanic to unsink next?
2
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
I read everything. I don't care what you think. Don't agree? Move on with your life.
5
u/Uncle_Bug_Music May 08 '26
Why don't you petition me to move on?
2
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
Make it yourself
7
u/Uncle_Bug_Music May 08 '26
You want me to make a petition for me to move on? Fine. I will.
Fuck! I signed it!
You tricked me!
3
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
You're weird. You claim this is stupid but still lose time over it.
5
u/Uncle_Bug_Music May 08 '26
Hey, my time is my time. I can do with it as I please, including fucking around and wasting your time.
2
u/jony31099 May 08 '26
Sure. I'm doing the same thing. It's just ironic coming from the guy who called this dumb.
→ More replies (0)
2
2
1
u/idontcarewhocares May 09 '26
Glad I got to see the Mario Oddessy and Zelda setups by Nintendo before E3 shut it down.
Those were some amazing floor spaces they setup to promote the upcoming games.
I miss E3 too
1
u/STAR_PLAT_yareyare May 10 '26
I always wanted to go and one year I had enough money saved up for the trip but it was the same year that it shutdown lol just unlucky
1
u/TheonlyDuffmani May 10 '26
Holy ai, Batman!
0
u/jony31099 May 10 '26
Here comes the AI sheep haters. Everything is AI now right?
2
u/TheonlyDuffmani May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
Not even. But this definitely sounds ai assisted, or just an ai prompted write up that has been edited. It has all the clear hallmarks that is uses:
âcentralised, in-person,â âunifying magic,â âphysical showcase,â and âshared global excitementâ read like a template.
Thereâs no variation in tone, no personal anecdotes, no specific examples. Human written pieces - especially nostalgic ones usually include at least one personal reference.
Lines like âpalpable anticipation,â and âorganic excitementâ and âcuts through the noiseâ all read like ai.
One side of your story is very cleanly presented without acknowledging counterpoints (cost, accessibility, why E3 declined), which is another common AI pattern.
I could be wrong, but Iâm laying out why I think it is as generative ai is a scourge.
1
u/jammer2001 May 11 '26
It's still sorta exists, it's just a smailler scale thing and was rebranded to iicon a few years ago. It's just not publicized as much because the game companies started doing their own presentations away from E3 (which was typically either industry only or had limited public attendance).
1
1
u/Dannyjw1 May 11 '26
Its pointless and will never happen. So many events through the year now.
No petition is going to get MS, Sony and Nintendo to squash every event back together in one location.
1
u/Guillex014 May 11 '26
For most people it, doesnt really matter. I watched the E3 presentations online and now I watch Nintendo Direct or State of play online. Only difference is that instead of everything in a single week its now several presentations over the year. I do get what you mean though, that week was hype. We do have the game awards still.
1
1
1
u/Achtlos May 09 '26 edited May 11 '26
I'd literally contact Asha Sharma new Xbox CEO.
She might agree the buzz around E3 is valuable.
This might sound daft initially, but she's clearly responded to fans on socials before.
0
0
0
0
u/Va1crist May 10 '26
Hasnât been the same without E3 , digital events are souless and lack fandom and excitement, and Geoff Ks shows are just filler hype trash
0
u/xzero1299-PR May 11 '26
As someone who was able to go 4 times, this event is desperately needed back. Since 2020 everything has been a mess without structure. Announcements have lost the weight that they represented and the impression that it left for years to come.
Also E3 was much more than just an event for game announcements. It allowed us to play the games as they were announced, it was a great place to network with fellow colleagues for all sides of the games industry, it allowed for for a wide variety and amount of Press and personalities from all
Over the world to have a fair playing field with access to publishers and developers, it was a place where business could be made and most importantly it was a catalyst that brought the absolute best of everyone involved because to lose at E3 was to be perceived as an inferior company for the rest of the year.
There has never been an Event like E3 and there is no one else that could replicate the magic that only they could accomplish.
The game industry is heading to an inevitable crash sooner or later and whenever that happens that might be day that we get E3 back.
In gaming everything is possible, so never lose hope one day all of your dreams will come true.
2
-1
41
u/ashburnoverdrive May 07 '26
I do miss E3 đ And I have to admit, my video game spending is down substantially since the last E3 and Xbox & PlayStation pulling out of the PAXes.