News event E3 2022 cancelled: No more spectacular trade shows and conferences?
A veritable thrill ride of video games, the E3 has been playing the emotional elevator for two years. In 2020, the outbreak of the health crisis forced him to close shop for a while, before returning the following year in a 100% digital event. But in 2022, there will simply be no show, either online or in person. Information that foreshadows the end of shows and conference shows?
Maybe one day we’ll sing “I’m telling you about a time that under-20s can’t know” about the famous E3 conferences. Because here three years since the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Centers have not vibrated to the sound of booming announcements. And it’s not ready to work out. Recently we learned thecancelation unequivocally of the 2022 edition of the most famous American show dedicated to video games. “We will devote all our energy and resources to delivering a physical and digital version of E3 the following summer” explains the ESA, which organizes the event, in the columns ofIGN. The company says it is skipping this year’s meeting to “focus its resources” on the next one, in 2023.
A surprising announcement. In January, however, the ESA confirmed the return of a 100% online E3 for 2022, like the previous edition, claiming to be “incredibly enthusiastic” about the future of the show. A reassuring facade that hides a less brilliant reality? In any case, that’s what Jeff Grubb, journalist for VentureBeat, a well-known insider in the industry, thinks. Beyond having mentioned the cancellation of E3 a few months ago, the man speak of this year’s event as a “brothel”. To make matters worse, the announcement did not come directly from ESA, but from a message Twitter from Razer’s PR manager. To date, there is no official press release on this subject on the official site of the ESA or that of E3.
“I just received an email… It’s official, E3 digital is completely canceled for 2022. Lots of mixed feelings on the subject…” – Will Powers (Razer), sur Twitter
Just got an email… It’s official, E3 digital is official cancelled for 2022. Lots of mixed feelings about this…
— Will Powers ???? @RazerStore Austin (@WillJPowers) March 31, 2022
Rethink everything
To date, we do not know the exact reasons that led the company to cancel E3 2022. Last year, however, the show had managed to save the furniture, bringing together very big names in the industry – Ubisoft, Xbox, Square Enix… – with many conferences over three days, one year after the outbreak of the health crisis and the cancellation of the 2020 edition. A solution that today appears more like a patch rather than a complete revival. Already because the event invited publishers to perform in formats already developed internally, under the effect of Covid constraints (Ubisoft Forward, not “Ubisoft E3 Conference” for example). And because, obviously, the ESA has lost more than gained in organizing the 2021 edition.
As it stands, it’s impossible to know if the publishers had to pay fees for participating in the online show (the ESA press releases are not clear on the subject) but one thing is certain: compared to the classic format, physical , the shortfall must be significant. On the Quora social network, David Mullich, industry veteran and director of many parts of the Might and Magic license, valued the rental of a large E3 stage at around 100,000 dollars. Of course, not everything goes into the pockets of the ESA. The Convention Centers also have their share. Added to this is the public admission ticket, another major source of revenue in normal times ($250 in 2019 for 3 days of show) while the 2021 edition, 100% online, was free. Not to mention the costs to make the event compatible with a digital version, including a brand new mobile application.
For cheap
In short, there is a very good chance that a digital E3 will be much less viable than a physical show. Even so, today, it would be hard to see publishers rushing to the doors of the Convention Centers to resume show conferences, as in the good old days. After the arrival of the health crisis, the major JV players understood that they could communicate at a lower cost, inspired by formats such as Nintendo Direct (which has existed since 2011) or EA Play Live, which is traditionally held on the sidelines of E3. Publishers have thus created airtime on their own, but above all, new initiatives with the aim of uniting video game creators have emerged. The most famous of these is undoubtedly the Summer Game Fest by Geoff Keighley, journalist and insider who is already in charge of organizing the Game Awards at the end of each year. The man was quick to respond after the announcement of the cancellation of E3, on Twitter, posting a wink quite evocative. A few minutes later, he revealed the date of his Summer Game Fest 2022.
“There’s no bigger fan than me of what an event like E3 means to the industry. I’ve been to every E3 for 25 years. As the industry evolves, the how our industry comes together must also evolve” – Geoff Keighley, sur Twitter
just different
All in all, it would be hard to bet on a return of the famous E3 show conferences. However, this does not mean that the great mass of video games has died out. On the sidelines of the individual shows, publisher by publisher, there are the evenings with a whole bunch of actors from the middle who seem to have the coast. Like that of the Summer Game Fest 2021 – where we saw the real first images ofElden Ring – or the now traditional Gamescom Opening Night Live, which will return on August 23rd. So yes, online events, but why not imagine a physical version when the Covid is over, Game Awards style?
In any case, the physical fairs are not ready to stop. For example, for this year, Gamescom is choosing a hybrid approach, with activity in Cologne and also online. And for the Tokyo Game Show, it will obviously be – finally – a return to normal. Like CES 2022, moreover under fire from critics for having acted as if nothing had happened in January, without considering the health risk. Above all, it should not be forgotten: these meetings constitute an opportunity for players as well as for professionals. This is often where they make important contacts and unearth great opportunities.
By IndeeJournalist jeuxvideo.com
MP