Also this year, the former leading video game trade fair E3 will not take place. Organizer Reedpop and the American Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced late Thursday that the show planned for June in Los Angeles had been canceled due to a lack of exhibitor interest.

Gregor Brunner

Editor in business.

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After the console manufacturers Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony had already announced their absence in January, other game manufacturers and publishers had now jumped off. Tencent and Sega would not set up booths at the fairgrounds. And the French publisher Ubisoft also withdrew its participation – after boss Yves Guillemot had recently promised to participate.

Stanley Pierre-Louis, head of ESA, explained in an interview with the industry portal "Gamesindustry.biz" why the attempt at revival failed this year. "Firstly, Covid has pushed back the development processes of the Games," he said. Secondly, economic headwinds mean that many manufacturers have to reconsider how much money they want to invest in large promotional events. "And third, companies are experimenting with the right balance between physical events and digital presentations."

The fate of the fair has been hanging in the balance for some time. Since 1995, it has been the number 1 topic of conversation in the world of video games for a week in the summer. The major manufacturers and developers used the trade fair for bombastic press conferences and impressive stand constructions. Stars such as Shigeru Miyamoto, the inventor of Super Mario, or Microsoft founder Bill Gates also performed on stage.

Overtaken by digital formats?

Game manufacturers and competitors of E3 used the enforced break during the pandemic to build digital formats. In this way, they were able to present their innovations to the trade audience and the players.

Nintendo was one of the first to become independent with its format "Nintendo Direct" in 2011 and independent of the date of the fair. Thus, the Japanese group played at different times of the year out of competition and still managed to find viewers.

Other game manufacturers followed. Meanwhile, Sony, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and others have their own formats. And also the "Summer Game Fest" of the Canadian video game journalist Geoff Keighley, which takes place only digitally, is able to combine more pledges and presentations than the trade fair in Los Angeles.

Whether there will be another E3 next year is uncertain. We want to listen to the industry and adapt to its needs, said ESA chief Pierre-Louis. "We would be delighted if E3 remained a platform for exchange and marketing." But for now, the focus is on promoting the concerns of the video game industry. Pierre-Louis failed to give a concrete answer.

Low appeal to Germany

Meanwhile, the German gaming industry seems relaxed. "So far, E3 has also been a fixed date in the calendar for many German games companies," said Felix Falk from the industry association Game of the F.A.Z. "The focus was often on international networking. With the end of E3 for this year, this date is unfortunately missing."

This is a pity, but not critical to success, Falk explained. In addition to E3, there are other international platforms that can be used for networking. This is how Falk called the Games Developer Conference in San Francisco, which has just ended, and the Cologne Gamescom in August.

No impact on Gamescom

The latter trade fair, co-organized by the Game Association, is unlikely to be influenced by the E3 cancellation. "Due to gamescom's much broader approach, which addresses all parts of the games culture and its ecosystem, the world's largest games event is much more stable." Gamescom is not only aimed at trade visitors, but also sees itself as a meeting place for the entire video game community. Public competitions and discussion events are on the agenda in addition to the presentation of new games.

This seems to be a better selling point for exhibitors. In the early bird phase, there have already been 10 percent more registrations from exhibitors than in the previous year, said Falk. Among them were exhibitors who had stayed away last year.