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RIP E3 2023. Long Live Summer Game Fest 2023 on June 8!

While E3 2019 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was the last in-person yearly show of all things gaming since 1995, 27 years ago, due to the COVID-19 pandemic forbidding all public gatherings. The ESA just confirmed that E3 2023 has been cancelled… for the fourth year in a row despite pandemic restrictions being over. Truly the end of an era, we’ve covered E3 since 2005 and it was always fun to get hyped up for new video games as all publishers put up their best showings to try and get you to pre-order their next big game.

Sadly E3 just couldn’t get their hybrid online/in-person show off the ground in recent years and no game publisher thought it was worth spending millions on building show-floor demo venues, when they all have their own digital events in June to replace E3. Gamesindustry has a boring statement from the ESA why they think they failed to keep up with the (digital-focused times), but let’s be real all publishers pulled out until none were left.

So it’s safe to say E3 may be dead forever, since its 2020 replacement Summer Game Fest has been going strong for 3 years and all game publishers center their announcements on or around that online event, which since last year has been hosting in-person game demonstrations too. Making it sound like its well on its way to become the E3 of the future, while combining what made the fantastic E3 events of the past so much fun… the excitement of surprise announcements and live interviews with a game’s developers.

Here’s a look back at 20 of the best E3 moments ever…

I hope to see more demos being made available to play at home during these June events and surprise game drops are insanely epic too; With recently Microsoft just dropping Hi-Fi Rush and Nintendo dropping Metroid Prime Remastered the moment it got announced at a digital event they livestreamed themselves just goes to show how much positive a fun surprise can bring with it. People are still talking about it months later.

This year Summer Game Fest 2023 starts Thursday, June 8, 2023 and you can visit it worldwide on Youtube / Twitch / etc. Geoff Keighley, who previously setup the yearly The Game Awards, always promises many world premiere announcements for each Summer Game Fest!

Join together to celebrate what’s next in video games.@SummerGameFest returns live Thursday, June 8, streaming live everywhere. pic.twitter.com/oKOWr37Jb2

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) March 30, 2023

Here's 15-year old me at the first-ever E3 in 1995.

E3 meant so much to me and to so many of you too.

Four years ago, I realized that E3 wasn't evolving as it needed to compete in a global, digital world. So we started building what’s next. See at @summergamefest June 8. pic.twitter.com/wSZqpz3wjY

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) March 30, 2023