The Game Goes On: What Comes After E3 for the Video Game Industry
When the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced terminating its iconic Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) late last year after 28 consecutive seasons anchoring June video game news cycles, uncertainty erupted around what fills the calendar void left abandoning gaming’s glitzy misconduct venue and hype-driving promotional engine that long set industry rhythms between splashy console war hardware cycles.
While pandemic aftershocks canceling recent live E3 editions accelerated existential reassessment about maintaining such concentrated spectacles, many insiders and fans cling to once-reliable fond nostalgia bonding players and developers each year within pre-internet era traditions struggling to reconcile social media fragmentation.
But the multibillion-dollar interactive entertainment industry boasts no shortage of creative visionaries and opportunistic upstarts ready to launch evolution beyond the defunct Los Angeles convention hosting nearly 70,000 at its raucous apex once dominating summer digital attention spans. The post-E3 era guides marketing, community and revelation now demands fresh perspectives from disenchanted developers, underestimated audiences and unleashed competitors.
Impatient Publishers Won’t Wait Lest any mourn the excitable June showcase as irreplaceable, know that months preceding the official E3 termination declaration already witnessed major publishers reorienting promotional vehicles respecting neither sacred industry calendar cycles nor showmanship conventions.
Behemoth Activision Blizzard captivated millions last September by committing previously unprecedented marketing resources for a mobile title reveal by confirming a full “Call of Duty Warzone Mobile” title extending its shooter empire into smartphones and tablets. The company live-streamed a glossy Hollywood-style hype reel interspersing cinematic glimpses between executive interviews touting blockbuster development budgets and eSports ambitions. By forgoing either E3’s stage or the November console launch traditional for its next multi-platform push bridging PC, consoles and mobile, they signaled confidence that direct audience engagement supersedes trade venues.
This digital-first route aligns with ongoing industry erosion at Gamescom, E3’s German equivalent facing similar existential scrutiny over providing faltade rather than utility given audience fragmentation. Activision also avoids pesky event safety troubles like stampedes from overpacked halls that previously imperiled cancelled Cologne conventions demonstrating risks around crowding too many under one roof.
Ubisoft Entertainment soon followed suit announcing Assassins Creed Mirage via a streamed global "UBI Forward” showcase allowing more refined pacing and inclusion than the rushed E3 exhibits game makers traditionally endured grumbling. Though a staple most years, the French company recognizes digital presentation liberty now offers valuable flexibility detached from convention halls or a calendar.
Other publishers like Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive satellite around popular June summer gaming announcements window with online streams and influencer preview events spread over years but attracting wider engagement than formal E3 trade booths which scale Poorly into virtual formats. Whether needing meeting rooms remains debatable compared to accessible video reaching exponentially bigger passive viewership.
Most analysts agree ongoing pandemic behaviors reducing travel while elevating streaming entertainment only accelerate more publishers abandoning physical confines tethering online worlds for consumer attention, even if abandoning familiar Los Angeles comforts sparks nervousness about lacking a centralized hub.
Fortunately for restless marketing departments, modern options ensure the post-E3 roadmap promises everything from minute-long rapid-fire trailers to deep dive 4 hour showcases parsing single title details or company philosophy manifestos. What replaces the big show likely becomes a diversified calendar with key dates dominated by the industry’s biggest fish while international/indie components fill gaps on the release schedule and geography. But make no mistake - veterans in the business still know when colossal titles require colossal pitches. So digital juggernauts staying Fortnite famous position new vehicles driving gamer goodwill and sales revenues no matter what videogame Christmas morning once anchored insider nostalgia or retailer purchasing talks. The show goes on.
Next-Gen Physical Events Rising from E3 Ashes Ironically though, the same internet tools liberating publishers from convention floors also nurture unprecedented video game community enthusiasm inspiring innovators towards reimagining real-world gatherings on more inclusive, affordable and meaningful scales reflecting gaming’s explosive growth into mainstream pop culture fandom. Where monolithic E3 collapsed under the homogenous corporate weight, accessible upstarts aim to rescue connective magic.
Ex-journalist Geoff Keighley won admiration by continuing his December "The Game Awards" production through the pandemic years to serve up world premieres between trophies. Buoyed by recent success, his organization aims to expand the concept into a consumer-facing Game Festival event accommodating over 50,000 attendees. Though Keighley lacks the E3 name recognition beyond industry circles presently, the proposed 2023 Southern California happening suggests a gathering itch exists if respecting modern audiences.
Venerable PAX West/East events operated by Reed Exhibitions fill over 100,000 square feet nowadays hosting tabletop tournaments and cosplay celebrations embracing gaming’s ever-expanding community dimensions beyond virtual worlds alone. Scaled-down versions feel destined to fill hotel ballrooms or expo halls approximating peak E3s compact experience with less overhead should prominent publishers buy into the vision.
Internationally, hybrid event producers also see an opportunity to redefine what gaming culture convention formats resemble across European and Asian capital cities. Weekend pop-ups around eSports tournaments, demo days, or awards presentations could easily emulate the hype-building affection E3 managed during 90s debuts on more traveled circuits compared to the fixed Los Angeles localization.
Most insiders agree the considerable human elements sustaining gaming’s exploding fandom cottage industry and the team bonding energy developers/publishers experience huddling in person all require thoughtful evolution beyond E3’s legacy likely incorporating regional events coordinated with online happenings until ideas merge nurturing accessibility and enthusiasm simultaneously.
Twitch, YouTube and the Digital Destiny Gamers old enough to mourn E3 today remember relishing the day each month when printed magazines delivered shiny new screenshots or character renders to obsess over until the next issue arrived. Then sprawling online outlets like IGN and Gamespot captured frantic midnight launch hype. Now endless YouTube analysis and Twitch season passes granting early alphas fill the gaps for engaged followers.
In many ways, the diminishing returns trying to retain such anachronistic trade show models designed around disseminating information collapse as influencer celebrities commanding millions of viewers and subscribers gain transparent windows into creative processes once shrouded under NDAs and insider meetings. The middle ground publishers once nurtured around expos or gaming outlet exclusives evaporated as always-online gamers found direct community and cutting commentary knitting together various global voices under the same digital quilt in the process marginalizing outdated intermediaries.
Recognizing these shifts, French company Ubisoft partnered with select streamers promoting titles like Assassins Creed Valhalla or Far Cry 6 whose viewership eclipses cable broadcasts on experimental long-term sponsorship deals trading access for coverage timed against internal marketing beats. Others leverage Discord channels rallying superfans within community development while platforms like Patreon and Twitch Subscriptions allow direct viewer funding benefiting beloved personalities over nameless corporate coffers in ad-based models.
Most insiders project inevitable movement towards publishers launching official channels, Nomadic streamer crews on retainer for day one commentary or collaborative deals allowing recognized voices to participate directly on creative teams instead of reactive positions. The radical transparency and accountability connecting players with creators over years through memorable moments sound far preferable to the scripted conferences E3 forced all parties to choke down politely for fleeting pre-launch windows.
Forging Genuine Bonds But absent all the flash and hype hawking AAA titles on splashy stages, the intimate magic awakening a lifelong passion for interactive storytelling across all groups and backgrounds must endure above fleeting corporate synergy. More local Game Jams, diversity mentor programs or university gaming clubs could better nurture the enthusiasm E3 monopolized around homogeneous industry visions that failed reflecting exponentially expanding enthusiast appetites until outmoded.
However, the post-E3 era guides marketing spectacles and reveals hype cycles or industry conversations into the gaming generation’s future as demographic numbers and purchasing influence dwarf Hollywood, one sincere hope shines - that the communal joys of roleplaying, creating, competing and forging genuine bonds over favorite pastime flourishing creatively and commercially long af