The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as the E3, has been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for decades. E3 2020 however, may not be that interesting for some gamers. Last January Sony announced that they weren’t attending the biggest gaming event. Now, former E3 Coliseum host and industry veteran Geoff Keighley announced he is not coming to E3 for the first time in a quarter century.
Keighley, E3 host and video games journalist announced on Twitter that he is going to skip E3 2020 this June. In the Twitter post he says the following:
For the past 25 years, I have attended every Electronic Entertainment Expo. Covering, hosting, and sharing E3 has been a highlight of my year, not to mention a defining part of my career.I’ve debated what to say about E3 2020. While I want to support the developers who will showcase their work, I also need to be open and honest with you, the fans, about precisely what to expect from me.
I have made the difficult decision to decline to produce E3 Coliseum. For the first time in 25 years, I will not be participating in E3. I look forward to supporting the industry in other ways and at other events in the future.
He is now the second major player in the gaming industry that ditches the expo. And it leaves us wondering, what will happen to the E3? One could be bummed out that the once so glorious get-together of the industries biggest companies is becoming less and less glorious. After all, many of us have been looking forward to this condensed explosion of gaming news every year.
On the other hand, it is what it is. Companies will still go to Los Angeles to announce and promote their products and someone else will host the Coliseum. Besides, Microsoft was definitely be celebrating after Sony’s announcement. Now they theoretically get more of the spotlight to push their products. But is filling in the gap that Sony (and to a lesser extent Geoff Keighley) left good enough? Because for many gamers, June was just as exciting as Christmas for kids. With less gifts under the Christmas tree, it may carry less impact.
The reason for Kieghley deciding to not attend the Coliseum this year is as of yet unclear. After his statement, he said he is happy to answer questions from fans on Twitter. He then proceeded to not really answer any question at all. This might suggest he is under some sort of NDA. Fans are now speculating he might even do the PlayStation 5 announcement in favor of the E3.
Whatever the case, the event is not the same as the past decades. Most importantly because Sony decided to go off on their own. Now a generally liked host is leaving too. So we will just have to see how the general energy of the E3 is this June. E3 2020 will run from June 9-11th.
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