F to Pay Respects: RIP E3

It's confirmed… a sad day for gamers but one I was expecting for a while now with the slew of cancellations going around.

The ESA has officially canceled this year's E3 after what they say "simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry." After the big 3 (Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony) were confirmed not to be attending, and just days ago Ubisoft pulled out of the show entirely, it was beginning to look like a shell of its former glory.

I remember always looking forward to E3 announcements. Clamoring to any shred of new information. Gaming has always been a huge part of my personal identity, ever since the day I picked up my first Nintendo and took on the role of an Italian plumber beating up turtles and mushrooms.

But the world has changed, like it or not, what the Corona Virus pandemic did was force people to readjust, including the events we went to. This year was supposed to be the first in-person E3 since the pandemic, and it's sad to see this news.

Currently on the main E3 website, a statement says "show organizer ReedPop announces E3 2023 will not take place as scheduled this June, with both physical and digital events canceled. Alongside the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), both parties will re-evaluate the future of E3."

Honestly, this statement doesn't bode well. Normally I'm pretty optimistic, but they way it sounds, it seems like what we've known and loved as E3 will either be only a memory, or what will come will pale in comparison.