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While the ESA originally kept saying they'd possibly bring E3 back, as of December 2023 they've now stated that the event is officially cancelled for good. The last regular E3 was 2019, just before the COVID pandemic, and while the ESA did hold a digital-only version of E3 in 2021, plans to bring E3 back as an in-person event following the availability of the COVID vaccine were still cancelled.

Looks like from now on the main video gaming summer event with be Geoff Keighley's "Summer Games Fest," and companies like Nintendo will just stick to their usual "do one big Direct at some point in the summer."

I know opinions on E3 in the last couple of years of its life were mixed at best, but it does still suck to know a major gaming staple for roughly 25 years is now coming to an end.

Despite the lukewarm reception on some recent E3s, I'll miss the hype, laughs and embarrassments that E3 offers.

The period of 2004-2013 had some of the more memorable moments, both good and bad. Still one of the biggest standouts in terms of hype is Nintendo in 2004, lots of great games showcased that year, and capping it all off with that Twilight Princess trailer made for an E3 people are still talking about nearly 20 years later.

Even earlier than that you had some other "iconic" moments like when Sony showed up Sega by just casually dropping the news that the PS1 would be $100 cheaper than the Sega Saturn, and a reminder that Nintendo vs. Piracy has been a thing for a long ass time as most of Howard Lincoln's speech at E3 1995 was mainly just him discussing "the growing risk of game piracy."

The king is dead. I think this is a good time to remember the highlights (or the embarresements if you will) of the event's history. I'll show one of my favorites through the eyes of the Gametrailers crew.

I'm gonna miss E3. Loved it in an ironic way seeing the industry head honcho's embarrassing themselves on stage. End of an era.

My personal fave era for E3 was the beginning of the 3DS. I was always so fascinated with everything the 3DS could do at the time.