Thanks to a meeting from the Los Angeles City Tourism Board of Commissioners talking about tourism events, a slide from proceedings seemed to confirm the news fans of E3 were fearing. Both the 2024 and 2025 versions of E3 were to be canceled, according to LA City, before a comment from ESA revealed that there is still a chance for the event to return.
In the 21st slide about citywide conventional sales dated June 12, and in a section for booked room nights, an asterisk specifically mentions “Includes E3 cancellations for 2024 & 2025.”
This is only months after a discussion with GamesIndustry.biz, where ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis talked about the cancellation for 2023 and the potential for future versions of the event. When asked about an E3 2024 he said, “We’re committed to providing an industry platform for marketing and convening but we want to make sure we find that right balance that meets the needs of the industry.”
Related: The rumors were true: E3 2023 is canceled
One key thing to note is how the cancellation footnote is tied to hotel bookings, making this asterisk most likely an assumption about future rooms, not a confirmation. Not too long afterward, Stephen Totilo from Axios Gaming confirmed that, after speaking with people from ESA, E3 2024 and onwards are still up in the air.
According to Totilo, the member from ESA said that “ESA is currently in conversation with ESA members and other stakeholders about E3 2024 and beyond, and no final decisions about the events have been made at this time.”
While this direct quote says that the decision on future E3s is still to be made, this doesn’t help quell fans’ worries about the future of the event. ESA will provide an update in the future if E3 does continue in 2024, or years afterward.
Published: Jun 22, 2023 06:58 pm