In a bit of news that's probably not shocking to many, E3 has just lost its creative director. Production company iam8bit was in charge of organizing and designing the concept for the 2020 show but has decided to resign from the position just three months before E3 was set to happen. That can't be a good sign.
In a post on Twitter, the company gave a standard response wishing everyone the best of luck with this year's show. No other reason beyond that was stated, though it isn't such a stretch to assume the spread of coronavirus might be to blame. We don't have enough information to make that assumption. What we do know is that E3 might be dead at this point.
What makes this development so strange is that iam8bit's collaboration with the ESA was only announced last month. The company was likely planning things for the past year, but everything was kept under wraps to surprise guests. Such a sudden decision couldn't have been made lightly.
Without a creative director, what exactly is the show going to be? The ESA could scramble to find a replacement and redesign the show, but there isn't much time left. We don't know the extent to which iam8bit was integrated with this year's theme, but it seems pretty substantial. All of the leaks from last year point to 2020 being radically different, so it's going to need someone to rein everything in.
The ESA could go back to the old format and just have regular booths and displays. At this point in time, that could be the safest option for ensuring the show continues. There is also the chance E3 gets officially canceled this year, falling in line with many other events around the globe. If that happens, then developers and publishers will have to find other avenues for demoing upcoming games.
In this modern digital era, though, why doesn't every company go the Nintendo route? Being able to pre-record and control the message around your game seems like a smarter and cheaper method of marketing. It also means people won't need to deal with massive crowds, stupidly long lines, and figuring out which of the 15 places in downtown LA they'll be going to.
Source: Twitter