For nylig, efter megen spekulation, valgte arrangørerne ESA og ReedPop at aflyse E3, der skulle være løbet af stablen i juni måned efter en længere pause. De slog selv fast at der simpelthen ikke var nok interesse fra udgiverne, men hvordan kan det være?
I et interview med GamesIndustry fortæller ESA-præsident Stanley Pierre-Louis, at de skyder skylden på de større, bredere udfordringer som spilbranchen står overfor.
"First, several companies have reported that the timeline for game development has been altered since the start of the COVID pandemic. Second, economic headwinds have caused several companies to reassess how they invest in large marketing events. And third, companies are starting to experiment with how to find the right balance between in-person events and digital marketing opportunities."
Desuden vil Pierre-Louis ikke kommentere direkte på om E3 står til at vende tilbage, eller om dette er messens endeligt:
"It's a matter of finding the right pitch - and I mean that in the sound way - for the needs that are evolving. They're continuing to experiment with how they market their works. We're seeing other shows coming back slowly, but coming back. They're at a different scale and investment commitment than E3 so we have to continue to work on how we create a dynamic and sustainable model that meets the needs of the industry."
