previous playstation President Shawn Layden commented on E3's downfall, claiming the show didn't know what it wanted to do and seemed unable to navigate the transition from a trade show to a consumer show. During his time at PlayStation, Shawn Layden regularly appeared at E3 to give presentations and meet with people from all over the world.
E3 stands for Electronic Entertainment Expo, an annual event that has played a major role in the gaming industry for decades. This event took place in Los Angeles, California from 1995 to 2019. E3 had its last hurray in 2021, but the once-annual show hasn't returned since. At one time, E3 was a highly regarded event. Many gamers were eagerly awaiting the show, as developers often made impressive E3 presentations that would grab headlines for days. While many developers are still preparing exciting trailers for shows like Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards, many fans believe that no single event unites the entire industry like E3.
Geoff Keighley says E3 'sort of' committed suicide.
Geoff Keighley comments on the cancellation of E3 2023 and whether his rival Summer Game Fest event contributed to E3's downfall.
Shawn Layden breaks down the features and failures of E3.
Shawn Layden, who recently appeared on Game Rant's Character Select, talked about his experience at E3. When asked about his downfall at E3, Layden simply said, “I didn't know what I wanted to do.” He explained that in 1995, E3 was a trade show. As a trade fair, its main function was to bring businesses and retailers together. As he explained, someone from a retailer was walking around the trade show floor looking for products to bring to his store. So developers want to show off their work and explain to retailers why they should sell their game. He also discussed the importance of media at E3. That's because gaming magazines are still a popular way for gamers to connect with their hobby. Impressing journalists could land you on the September cover of a major magazine, which is a plus for anyone marketing a game or product. Layden expressed that this was all business as usual, but things started to change in the early 2000s.
The growth of the internet meant that the media surrounding video games was much more prevalent, which meant a lot of information was leaked before the show even premiered. Additionally, retailers have become much more knowledgeable about games and don't need as much guidance when choosing which games to buy. Layden also explained that from a retail perspective, E3 in June didn't really work. According to Layden, June is too late for retailers looking to stock their shelves with promising products in time for the Christmas season. These types of transactions often occur early in the year, in January or February. Instead, the expo acted more like a progress report on products that retailers had already committed to selling. According to Layden, this was the moment E3 “lost its purpose” as a trade show.
He said the people behind E3 tried to build a consumer element, but trade shows and consumer expos are fundamentally different. He pointed to the popular Tokyo Game Show as an example of a successful consumer show where gamers can easily experience a variety of titles. In contrast, Layden said trade show booths should be “traps.” This is because companies want to keep the attention of people coming to their booth for as long as possible. After all, moving to a different booth will mean paying attention to the competition. Unfortunately, E3 never fully adapted or fully committed to becoming a consumer show, which likely contributed to its demise. While E3 is gone, many other events have sprung up to fill the void. For example, fans looking for news can always watch the Summer Game Fest, which provides fresh perspectives on upcoming titles.
