As the not-E3 week wanes and the anticipation for next-gen console gameplay boils at an all-time high, under the surface remains a void. Here, in this unseen space, are innovators and independent developers. The Electronic Entertainment Expo was quite literally a melting pot of video game culture and, although the reason for its sudden departure this year could never have been foreseen nor avoided, this empty region of spacetime may now carry with it more devastating effects on the way indie games are discovered and, thus, made more discoverable.

Breeding Ground For Indie Developers

Let's face it: a majority of gamers pay attention to E3 for the big franchise announcements. Whether it be the lone samurai life of Ghosts of Tsushima, the cybernetic near-future of Cyberpunk 2077, or the far-too-real post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us Part II; such triple-A powerhouses literally speak for themselves as icons in gaming. The astounding promise of what's to come next in the industry, however, isn't limited to these major tentpoles. In the midst of consumers salivating over the future of gaming at such conventions, independent developers work tirelessly behind the scenes not only to ensure their title gains traction but to also network as much as possible. Herein lies the real future in gaming.

These hungry developers, which more often than not consist of vastly smaller teams than those under Bethesda or Rockstar, thrive best of all in an environment like the E3 convention. Without the grand amassing of almost every notable figure in the industry, from tech consumers and hardcore streamers to business bigwigs and media insiders, those more under-the-radar games are left to their own promotional devices, which are sorely limited. Compared to the aforementioned Bethesda and Rockstar, indie devs are the real mainstays among the E3 spotlight, yet without it, they have few alternative outlets with which to shine.

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This sentiment is echoed best by Rodrigue Duperron, Marketing and Communications Specialist at the now-thriving Thunder Lotus Games:

"E3 2019 was ginormous for Spiritfarer's reveal. It's honestly difficult to imagine how we could've done any better to announce the game than we did through the great spotlight Microsoft gave us during their E3 2019 briefing. It was an honest-to-goodness blessing, and we'll continue building that initial boost with us on until launch - so we can testify from experience that E3 is a great event to share news at, especially (possibly exclusively) with help from a major partner."

With previous titles like Jotun and Sundered comprising their resume, the Montreal-based team may on the surface appear like a Bethesda or Rockstar, yet their soul resides more within the indie sphere, exemplified by their tagline: "We design AAA games with an indie heart." While last year's E3 may have launched them and their upcoming game into the stratosphere, Lotus understands it's not the only world-freezing video game event...

What to Do Without E3?

Yes, E3 is massive for video games, yet it's not the only place to garner acclaim and attention. Duperron continues from his previous statement:

"In a very real sense, it's less about E3 proper, and more like "go to where and when the spotlight is, so you can get as many eyeballs on your game as possible, and then make sure your news is quality enough to shine and be memorable." ...AAA has the budget to make their own events, indie simply doesn't, not by a long shot. It's in our best interest to go where the spotlight is."

E3 counterparts, such as GamesCom and Tokyo Game Show, are additional chances for promoting independent titles, yet they too have been canceled. The postponement of E3's IndieCade Showcase, a prime example of the expo's importance to the indie front, is a welcome sight. Still, given these uncertain times and unprecedented circumstances, could these next live so-called "spotlights" even take place? And, more importantly, what are smaller dev teams supposed to do now when attempting to target larger audiences, especially nearer to their game's launch?

For Thunder Lotus, it's all about open communication with players and potential fans. Rather than flooding emails with fluff-filled newsletters, their mailing list shoots out "juicy insights" on all their games and offers a direct line for feedback. On the hunt for that next ray of spotlight, Thunder Lotus has turned to the Steam Game Festival - Summer Edition to host an AMA on Spiritfarer. Like most in the industry, eyes are set on the validity of live streaming events, but can they produce the esteem and action of a kind like E3?

The Burgeoning Age of the Digital Expo

In the place of E3 has sprouted numerous online-based streaming expos and events, such as EA's Play Live 2020, Ubisoft Forward, and Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest. On the surface, they appear like the next best thing, the literal future of E3, but there's no replicating the energy of a physical on-site event.

Despite annual criticism, the loss of E3 2020 can already be felt. Lest we forget, those top-tier games everyone is itching to play are likewise devoid of the same hype and attention afforded via a physical E3 event. Think back to E3 2016, an expo that left gamers with the actual taste of the future on their palettes in the form of several trailers and reveals, namely Death Stranding, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7, Days Gone, and Marvel's Spider-Man.

The enlistment of Twitch and YouTube may be a viable option currently for much larger and far more anticipated games, but for independent developers, there is no emulating an in-person event.  This enigmatic aura of E3 is explored most elegantly by Duperron:

"...the lucky few of us who were there in 2019 will never forget what it was like to sit in a theater, to feel the crowd go nuts as Keanu freaking Reeves leaves the stage, then to have the lights turn down low, followed by the Spiritfarer trailer unexpectedly queueing up. Our hearts skipped a beat - and I think there's something of an encapsulation of E3 in that magic moment; say what you will about E3, but there's still that potential in it: that the whole gaming world could be watching while the first images ever seen from a game are shown, and some gamer watching out there somewhere just knows that game will change their life."

E3's Fated 2021 Return

For several years running, E3 has been considered a joke, viewed more so as an event with merits in tradition yet no real tangible standing. Last year's data breach, which doxed more than 2,000 press officials attending E3, nearly drove the spike into the coffin. Disheartening and careless as that may have been, it cannot be expressed any more poignantly: E3 matters. Not one but two articles from long ago attempt to outline aspects of the expo that make it valuable if not a necessity in the industry, one under PCMag from 2014 and another by the renowned Jason Schreier released two years ago. The latter sums it best in his opening sentence: "What a lot of people don't realize is that E3 is extremely important for people behind the scenes."

No E3 means no power plays, "the shadow side of E3," as Schreier aptly puts it. The networking, business deals, news shared - as Duperron previously stated - and exclusive plans happening behind the big announcements. It's truly special, a unique annual moment shared amongst a majority of the industry, whether physically present or not. It's clear, in more ways than one, the pandemic will wreak irreparable havoc on gaming, but E3 must survive.

Delectable indies and overshadowed experiences depend on it.

NEXT: Microsoft Won't Be Doing A Press Conference At E3 2021