Rumor: E3 about to be cancelled, official announcement coming soon (Update: Officially Confirmed)

[Skyfireblaze]

E3 is an outdated showcase. In an era of livestreaming and news directly from the publishers, E3 is just the unwanted middle man now.

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While this may be true as much as I love my E3 time watching all the streams, direct publisher news will never replace the joy of E3 seasons for me because there wouldn't be multiple live-streams from folks like Giant Bomb and Gamespot actually having to come together and report things as they happen.

If everyone goes Nintendo Direct across different times of the year it will just be news to watch with maybe reaction or discussion videos posted after and the whole "live" excitement and anticipation will be gone. It's a bit similar to watching a football (soccer) game recorded after it happened. Even if you didn't spoil yourself on the outcome yet there's just something missing from the experience. Actually writing this, a better example with football would be the Worldcup. Football happens mostly all year round but even I as not even a football fan enjoy when the Worldcup happens as that's a time where there's just a certain excitement in the air, the media and even people who don't watch football come together and celebrate and discuss.

And to clarify, I'm not missing the actual live-shows with an audience, it's fine if the announcements themselves are pre-recorded, but I rather have one condensed time-frame or week within the year were a whole slew of publishers and developers come together and everyone anticipates, guesses and predicts news live.

 

[EarlGreyHot]

I hope Nintendo still does a Treehouse event in some form. Only thing I always watched.

 

[Radishhead]

In all seriousness, outside of E3 there could be a danger the next gen console launches get delayed if manufacturing problems continue. I doubt it could happen, but you never know at this rate.

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Very likely to happen, in my opinion.

 

[Godzilla's Left Toe]

Yep. Cancelling E3 is the correct decision. Cant help but feel that Sony right now be like:

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They are probably in the same boat with their events

 

[VX1]

 

[Acquiescence]

The worst thing about this is that, whether it's under the banner of E3 or not, everything is going to be pre-recorded videos this summer.

 

[Dust]

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They certainly will. I guess MS will try to honor tradition and host Xfest in June but E3 might be done once pubs taste the low to no cost of just going online.

 

[KenobiLTS]

Man i feel like we're living in a post apocalypse world.

 

[Rosebud]

So, right in the year of Harry Potter game announcement? :(

At least publishers will (maybe) start to announce things around the year instead of waiting.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Doubtful. So many publishers are going to realise they don't lose anything by just having an online stream instead. E3 is so expensive to attend for companies and is a massive hassle in so many respects.

Begun, the Direct wars have.

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This idea that publishers are going to "realize" they can do online streams is honestly very flimsy. It seems to be based on this false idea that E3 is just the press conferences when those aren't technically part of E3 in the first place.

Publishers are already very aware of online streams. They're not stupid. There are more reasons to attend E3 other than announcing games to the public at press conferences.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Microsoft's clapback to Sony about not attending E3 is mildly funny now.

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Do you mind explaining why it's funny?

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

Seriously baffled about the hate E3 is getting here and that people want it to be canceled forever.

E3 was always like the Christmas of gaming announcements. It sucked when Nintendo switched to those boring directs instead of doing a full press conference. It sucked even more when Sony pulled out from E3. And it sucks that there will be no E3 at all this year.

It was always a time for me to take a few days off work and watch all the announcements, trailers, reactions and crazy board meltdowns. This is gone now. Smaller events spread across the year wont have the same event character.

 

[stan423321]

This idea that publishers are going to "realize" they can do online streams is honestly very flimsy. It seems to be based on this false idea that E3 is just the press conferences when those aren't technically part of E3 in the first place.

Publishers are already very aware of online streams. They're not stupid. There are more reasons to attend E3 other than announcing games to the public at press conferences.

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I'm pretty sure that's the case. Some publishers do, indeed, make "standalone" online streams now. It's not the second year of Nintendo Directs or something.

Moreover, if the virus kerfuffle continues, the whole economy is likely to get a major hit and people will buy less games than they would otherwise, making assessments of impact of other things harder.

 

[Tovarisc]

Even if E3 was going to die fully I imagine something else would take its place in few years.

Industry events like E3 are a lot more than just consumer facing showings of what is coming. Industry itself networks a lot in these events and face-to-face meetings are very important for making connections.

That goes for any industry where connections matter.

 

[Deleted member 8196]

Good.

I couldn't give a single fuck about having "live audience", people endlessly talking about how good their games are and all the marketing spins at E3 Press Conferences.

A blog post followed by a trailer is more than enough for me, if E3 dies i won't miss it at all.

 

[AzureFlame]

Seriously baffled about the hate E3 is getting here and that people want it to be canceled forever.

E3 was always like the Christmas of gaming announcements. It sucked when Nintendo switched to those boring directs instead of doing a full press conference. It sucked even more when Sony pulled out from E3. And it sucks that there will be no E3 at all this year.

It was always a time for me to take a few days off work and watch all the announcements, trailers, reactions and crazy board meltdowns. This is gone now. Smaller events spread across the year wont have the same event character.

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Yeah that was the best thing about it.

 

[Ahti]

I hope so. Going to miss the Giant Bomb coverage, but E3 really should be cancelled this year.

 

[TheAvatar]

Lol what, the biggest virus pandemic in our lifetimes is happening right now. No one is mistakingly assuming it's because of anything else.

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Based on this comments to this thread, that seems to be what is happening right now

 

[BladeRunner2099]

Seriously baffled about the hate E3 is getting here and that people want it to be canceled forever.

E3 was always like the Christmas of gaming announcements. It sucked when Nintendo switched to those boring directs instead of doing a full press conference. It sucked even more when Sony pulled out from E3. And it sucks that there will be no E3 at all this year.

It was always a time for me to take a few days off work and watch all the announcements, trailers, reactions and crazy board meltdowns. This is gone now. Smaller events spread across the year wont have the same event character.

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This 100%.

If we stop thinking about what the event means for a company and just how it makes us feel as Gamers, THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT!!

Too bad E3 Organizers couldn't really keep the ship afloat.

 

[LabRat]

gamescom is also getting cancelled no doubt about it. maybe the TGA's will still happen? what if they save all the announcements from gamescom and e3 for TGA and it's going to be the craziest show of all time in terms of announcements? do it geoff

 

[Deleted member 6056]

Will everyone just do a "direct"? Around the same time as E3? Whenever they feel like it?

But E3 being cancelled this year was only a matter of time.

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I'm sincerely getting the feeling EVO may be next. Guys like Justin Wong are already canceling tourney appearances to keep out of risk for their family's sake as well as their own. I cant fault minimizing travel and convention attending.

This makes me think better lobby setups designed for hosts to stream clip and setup bracket, names ,and all the good stuff tournies add would be nice. Didnt Awesomenauts or Brawlhalla or one of those come with a ton of streaming features built in for lobby stuff and tournies? That plus ggpo should get more of a push in general. Itd enable easier tournies and they could set payouts to user accounts

 

[KoolAid]

gamescom is also getting cancelled no doubt about it. maybe the TGA's will still happen? what if they save all the announcements from gamescom and e3 for TGA and it's going to be the craziest show of all time in terms of announcements? do it geoff

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Gamescom is in August, a lot can still happen by then.

 

[Cranster]

gamescom is also getting cancelled no doubt about it. maybe the TGA's will still happen? what if they save all the announcements from gamescom and e3 for TGA and it's going to be the craziest show of all time in terms of announcements? do it geoff

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They are not going to wait till December to make announcements. Alot of the things announced at E3 are time sensitive especially in regards to holiday releases.

 

[Godzilla's Left Toe]

Seriously baffled about the hate E3 is getting here and that people want it to be canceled forever.

E3 was always like the Christmas of gaming announcements. It sucked when Nintendo switched to those boring directs instead of doing a full press conference. It sucked even more when Sony pulled out from E3. And it sucks that there will be no E3 at all this year.

It was always a time for me to take a few days off work and watch all the announcements, trailers, reactions and crazy board meltdowns. This is gone now. Smaller events spread across the year wont have the same event character.

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I do find it weird that gamers are really the only group that really want their big trade show to die.

Never hear car fans saying they want the NY Auto show to die

Never hear tech fans saying CES should go away.

Never hear comic fans wishing any comic-con should go away

 

[crazillo]

Seriously baffled about the hate E3 is getting here and that people want it to be canceled forever.

E3 was always like the Christmas of gaming announcements. It sucked when Nintendo switched to those boring directs instead of doing a full press conference. It sucked even more when Sony pulled out from E3. And it sucks that there will be no E3 at all this year.

It was always a time for me to take a few days off work and watch all the announcements, trailers, reactions and crazy board meltdowns. This is gone now. Smaller events spread across the year wont have the same event character.

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This.

Or do people feel like because their favourite company skips E3, they should hate it as well?

It's very strange. I am a big tennis fan and I look forward to the big events all the time. All the stars will be there, competing for the big prize. E3 has this same feeling. Everyone is showing their best stuff in development right now and we can just enjoy the show. It will feel very different if stuff is scattered around the whole year.

 

[BraXzy]

While I'm not too fussed about the actual venue (after all the booths and everything that companies pump millions into are only seen by a few thousand people)...

I really hope that the spirit and essence of E3 remains.

If it just becomes an annual event in which all companies drop their load that would work just as well. The worst outcome would be the entire thing just fizzling out and everyone doing their own thing at random times through the year. E3 was always the biggest drop of news for gaming and a solid date to look forward to, it'd really suck to lose that.

 

[Cranster]

Seriously baffled about the hate E3 is getting here and that people want it to be canceled forever.

E3 was always like the Christmas of gaming announcements. It sucked when Nintendo switched to those boring directs instead of doing a full press conference. It sucked even more when Sony pulled out from E3. And it sucks that there will be no E3 at all this year.

It was always a time for me to take a few days off work and watch all the announcements, trailers, reactions and crazy board meltdowns. This is gone now. Smaller events spread across the year wont have the same event character.

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Yup, E3 is always something to look forward to.

 

[Common Knowledge]

I do find it weird that gamers are really the only group that really want their big trade show to die.

Never hear car fans saying they want the NY Auto show to die

Never hear tech fans saying CES should go away.

Never hear comic fans wishing any comic-con should go away

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I can't speak for those events, but a big reason is that the ESA is a complete trash organization.

 

[Ahti]

Gamescom is in August, a lot can still happen by then.

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Gamescom takes place in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state with the most infected and the virus won`t disapear until August. So yeah, Gamescom will probably be cancelled, too.

 

[Godzilla's Left Toe]

I can't speak for those events, but a big reason is that the ESA is a complete trash organization.

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People here have wanted E3 to die way before ESA fucked up last year.

 

[AcuteAwareness]

Safety should come first. The magnitude of E3 being outright canceled is a testament to this. Other events are likely to be following suit.

Everyone... please be safe, look out for your loved ones, and each other. The industry can weather this kind of storm, but don't take your health for granted.

 

[MBABuddha]

Just because people are saying "good riddance" to E3 doesn't mean they hate it. E3 had a good run, but it hasn't been the true center of the gaming universe for quite some time. Even without COVID this year's conference would have been a shadow of its former self - just like last year, and the year before that, etc...On the positive side I think this presents an enormous opportunity for game announcements to literally happen at any time.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Even if E3 was going to die fully I imagine something else would take its place in few years.

Industry events like E3 are a lot more than just consumer facing showings of what is coming. Industry itself networks a lot in these events and face-to-face meetings are very important for making connections.

That goes for any industry where connections matter.

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E3 is terrible for that. There's better alternatives for industry people and better events for the public, that ESA want to turn E3 into. PAX will probably quickly swallow it up and be where most will probably head to if E3 dies. I doubt everyone would start doing Direct type shows.

 

[Kordelle]

Seriously baffled about the hate E3 is getting here and that people want it to be canceled forever.

E3 was always like the Christmas of gaming announcements. It sucked when Nintendo switched to those boring directs instead of doing a full press conference. It sucked even more when Sony pulled out from E3. And it sucks that there will be no E3 at all this year.

It was always a time for me to take a few days off work and watch all the announcements, trailers, reactions and crazy board meltdowns. This is gone now. Smaller events spread across the year wont have the same event character.

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feel the same.

 

[Ayra Sutoraifu]

Yup, E3 is always something to look forward to.

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I always really liked Sony's conf., in particular 2015. But as a European the night time killed me more and more.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Even without COVID this year's conference would have been a shadow of its former self - just like last year, and the year before that, etc..

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This sounds like you're making the judgment based on Sony and nothing else. Because that's just not true.

 

[Hercule]

E3 is terrible for that. There's better alternatives for industry people and better events for the public, that ESA want to turn E3 into.

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Most of them are mostly gathered to people living in America. And none of them are as exciting.

 

[MBABuddha]

This sounds like you're making the judgment based on Sony and nothing else. Because that's just not true.

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No I'm basing it on the fact that every year the number of big announcements at the show gets smaller and smaller while the show floor shrinks and/or gets replaced with Funko Pop and energy drink vendors. Go watch the Giant Bomb or IGN show floor tour videos from the last 5 years and then try to tell me that E3 is as vibrant as it was in the 90's or early 2000's.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Most of them are mostly gathered to people living in America. And none of them are as exciting.

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You say that like E3 is different. Without E3 the rest would probably be more exciting, given they aren't waiting or planning around E3 anymore. Just announcing when ready is far more exciting for me than more way too long, usually not all that good conferences.

 

[Hercule]

You say that like E3 is different. Without E3 the rest would probably be more exciting, given they aren't waiting or planning around E3 anymore.

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E3 is definitely different, it always felt like a week where gamers came together to celebrate their favorite hobby.

It's not the same when every publisher has its own event at different times in the year.

A lot of European journalists go to E3 to cover it. Dutch gaming site Game kings for example always gets a huge boost in popularity because of E3. No E3 would mean a big blow for them.

 

[Rabalder.]

Correct decision.

 

[vestan]

Seriously baffled about the hate E3 is getting here and that people want it to be canceled forever.

E3 was always like the Christmas of gaming announcements. It sucked when Nintendo switched to those boring directs instead of doing a full press conference. It sucked even more when Sony pulled out from E3. And it sucks that there will be no E3 at all this year.

It was always a time for me to take a few days off work and watch all the announcements, trailers, reactions and crazy board meltdowns. This is gone now. Smaller events spread across the year wont have the same event character.

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big facts

 

[Detective Pidgey]

So MS will then hold a inside Xbox like show for what they had planned for E3?

 

[IIFloodyII]

E3 is definitely different, it always felt like a week where gamers came together to celebrate their favorite hobby.

It's not the same when every publisher has its own event at different times in the year.

A lot of European journalists go to E3 to cover it. Dutch gaming site Game kings for example always gets a huge boost in popularity because of E3. No E3 would mean a big blow for them.

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All because of something that isn't going anywhere, announcements. The press will cover them, other events will get more announcements and the affect of no E3 would be little overall. Just hopefully better actual announcements due to going when ready, not when E3 is.
Conference are basically just trailer reels at this point, I'd only miss the unintentional awkward stuff if they died, which is possible, at least them being yearly anyway.

 

[Detective Pidgey]

I wonder what Bethesda is going to do. I bet they were planning a live stage show, but that won't happen now. So a direct kind of thing for them? For all of them?

 

[lazerface]

It's so crazy that the e3 that I grew up with for the last 2 decades and looked forward to yearly is no longer going to be a thing.

 

[Hercule]

All because of something that isn't going anywhere, announcements. The press will cover them, other events will get more announcements and the affect of no E3 would be little overall. Just hopefully better actual announcements due to going when ready, not when E3 is.
Conference are basically just trailer reels at this point, I'd only miss the unintentional awkward stuff if they died, which is possible, at least them being yearly anyway.

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I think people underestimate what E3 means to some people. It aren't only the announcements. It's the complete package.

A couple years ago me and thousands of other Dutch gamers stayed up watching the PC show together even though I don't even own a gaming pc.

To use Game kings again as a example. Their E3 live streams have aways 3000+ people watching. That's something they usually never get. Their gamescom and TGS coverage isn't nearly as popular

 

[Yautja_Warrior]

The worst thing about this is that, whether it's under the banner of E3 or not, everything is going to be pre-recorded videos this summer.

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That might be better than a bunch of awkward and longer than necessary conferences. Just to the point trailers, with no weird celebrities or YouTubers being brought out on stage will be fine with me.

 

[IIFloodyII]

I think people underestimate what E3 means to some people. It aren't only the announcements. It's the complete package.

A couple years ago me and thousands of other Dutch gamers stayed up watching the PC show together even though I don't even own a gaming pc.

To use Game kings again as a example. Their E3 live streams have aways 3000+ people watching. That's something they usually never get. Their gamescom and TGS coverage isn't nearly as popular

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That's again because E3 is the main show, where everything is seemingly planned around, if it wasn't a thing, something else would fill that void. Generating hype for a show is very much doable by any of the major companies, this year will be very interesting to see how they react, especially as I imagine a few had some big plans with next gen looming.

 

[Detective Pidgey]

That might be better than a bunch of awkward and longer than necessary conferences. Just to the point trailers, with no weird celebrities or YouTubers being brought out on stage will be fine with me.

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I don't mind that either. Never thought much of celebs being brought on stage. What I want to know is, can we expect live streams from all of them? MS, Sony, Nintendo, EA, Ubi, Bethesda, Square Enix, Devolver etc?

MS can still hold a inside Xbox kind of show, but I hope not. Let's just keep it simple if it's not gonna be E3.