With Ubisoft Forward coming to a close, and Microsoft's digital event right around the corner, gamers are probably wondering, why is E3 still around? While the showroom floor is great to get first-hand glimpses of new game demos, and for media outlets to get some exclusive interviews with developers, a large portion of fans just stream the event from home, or just watch all the game trailers the following day.
While some may look at this year's E3 being dealt the worst hand with the ongoing global pandemic, the mass exodus of publishers ditching E3 started long before this year. If anything, the pandemic has only accelerated E3's death march as more and more companies host digital events that fans can easily stream. Publishers are finally catching on to the fact that most viewers just want to see a gameplay trailer, and not see a spectacle of music concerts, celebrity hosts, or forced comedy video game-themed comedy skits.
Embracing Modernity, Rejecting Tradition
These brief digital direct events started a few years back with Nintendo's Direct event. Over the years, other publishers saw the success of Nintendo's scaled-back approach and joined in on the fun, while other held off-site live events separate from E3. Soon EA, Playstation, Ubisoft, PC Gamer, and crowd-pleaser Devolver Digital hosted digital presentations. Devolver Digital's event pokes fun at the hacky and dated tropes of E3 live shows, which is why many viewers have loved its absurd approach to game presentation.
With streaming continuing to grow in popularity, it makes more and more sense for publishers to host and produce their own pre-recorded events. There is no incentive for publishers to go through the E3 song and dance. Why would a publisher want to compete for viewers by hosting their events all on the same day, when they can host their event and choose the time slot that is not conflicting with another big name? It's always about money with large companies, and E3 is not cost-efficient for publishers.
It is not only big-name publishers leaving E3 to start their digital events, but also prominent gaming industry figures like Geoff Keighley, GameSpot, and IGN. Earlier this year, before the pandemic, the Dorito Pope himself decided not to attend E3 2020, stating that "Given what has been publicly communicated about plans for E3 2020, I just don't feel comfortable participating in the show at this time."
Moving Forward
If E3 wants to be a culturally relevant event in the gaming industry, it needs to find a way to restructure. Publishers have made it clear they don't want to sink a ton of money into spectacle events. Why spend tens of thousands of dollars for a live orchestral performance to announce your new game, when you can just show the trailer? What about other gaming conventions? While big names have seemingly quit E3, other events like Gamescom and the Tokyo Game Show have had publishers returning, and even quickly adapted to a digital exhibition in light of the pandemic. Whether or not the support for these conventions will last in the coming years is yet to be seen. E3 needs to do something new, or else every publisher will leave them in the dust. Preferably not doxxing gaming journalists again. Maybe 2021 will be E3's year.