Ubisoft has become the most popular company, at a time when other companies such as Microsoft and Sony are retreating.
This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, the annual video game show known as E3, has been cancelled.
The event was scheduled to return in person to Los Angeles for the first time in four years in June, but attendance in person or online has been cancelled.
Analysts say it is “struggling to stay current” and to adapt to changes in the industry in recent years.
Ubisoft has become the most popular company, at a time when other companies such as Microsoft and Sony are retreating.
Ubisoft told Game Chronicle that it will air its own show instead of participating in E3.
Run by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) since 1995, the event has brought together video game developers, publishers, fans and media from around the world to help promote highly anticipated game and console launches.
And some major publishers are starting to host their own online events to tease new titles and technologies alongside each other instead of gathering at an event like this with their competitors.
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Console manufacturers have been a focal point of previous E3s, with product unveilings that rocked markets including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo DS. This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, the annual video game show known as E3, has been cancelled.
Analysis by gaming reporter Stephen Powell
E3 was once in a while, at the top, to occupy all of your senses.
There were neon lights, actors dressed like video game characters roaming giant halls, fans taking “selfies” next to large statues, people handing out T-shirts, encouraging you to try out their games.
These gatherings were very noisy, with music blaring from every booth. It was different, but he created an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm that the gaming industry has not matched since.
Top game developers in the past have told me that it was an important event because it highlighted the gaming industry for a whole week.
When Keanu Reeves appeared on stage a few years ago to announce that he would be in Cyberpunk 2077, it was a moment everyone was talking regarding and this is what E3 delivered.
It also brought game makers around the world together, which had a huge impact on smaller developers.
Individual companies will still hold events in partnership with PlayStation, Nintendo and Ubisoft. But it won’t be the same once more. Because these companies are often looking for people who have started converting their products.
What E3 gave companies was an opportunity to connect with new audiences and different people, and that’s what they might lose. The long-term impact isn’t clear, but some people will certainly mourn the loss of E3 this year.
This does not mean that it will not come back eventually, just we have to wait and see if it does and if it reaches its previous peak.
A notice on the E3 website says the show’s organizers, ReedPop Inc. and Entertainment Software Association ESA, will re-evaluate the future of E3, but ReedPop said they will continue to work together on future events.
The BBC has contacted both companies for comment.
Gaming news site IGN said ESA members including Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Epic Games and Microsoft were informed of the cancellation via an email, which said this year’s event did not attract enough appropriate attention.
It was a “tough decision” but they had to do what was “industry-appropriate,” said Kyle Marsden-Kish, global vice president of gaming at ReedPop.
remain relevant
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These gatherings were very noisy, with music blaring from every booth. It was different, but he created an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm that the gaming industry has not matched since.
Pierce Harding-Rolls, video game industry analyst at Ampere Analysis, told the BBC the cancellation reflected “the fair’s declining importance to personal exchange in mid-June”.
He added that the event “struggled to remain relevant and reinvent itself” in line with industry changes, including the growth of mobile gaming and the advent of more digital-only shows streamed live over the Internet.
