December 12, 2023
2 Min Read
Image via the ESA
E3 has been laid to rest by organizer the Entertainment Software Association after more than two decades.
The organization confirmed the news on X, formerly Twitter, and said it would continue advocating for those within game industry.
“After more than two decades of serving as a central showcase for the video game industry, ESA has decided to end E3. ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA member companies and the industry workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day,” it wrote.
The ESA had attempted to revive the once unmissable showcase this year with assistance from PAX organiser Reedpop (before severing ties with the company), but eventually scrapped E3 2023 less than three months before the event was due to take place.
At the time, ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis indicated that major publishers simply no longer considered E3 to be an essential part of the event calendar, and indicated it was struggling to find a place in a post-pandemic world dominated by digital showcases and other events such as Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards.
The game industry is “an evolving landscape”
“We did our best to reshape [the event], but in the end, companies make individual business and marketing decisions about what works. It’s an evolving landscape and we want to ensure we are meeting those needs,” said Pierre-Louis, who also noted the outlay demanded by E3 is “a very different kind of investment than some of the other platforms they have been using and experimenting with throughout the pandemic.”
After four years of development on Nightingale, the UK subsidiary of Inflexion Games is being shut down. Taking to LinkedIn, Jon Newman—the Audio Director at Inflexion—announced that the support studio is no more.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am sharing the sad news that the UK subsidiary of Inflexion Games is closing, and with it, the roles of the Audio team based here in the UK as well as others in the UK are affected.” Newman said.
“It has been a joy and privilege to support Nightingale alongside such a talented and all-round amazing team throughout this four year journey. We can honestly say with pride that we gave it our all and that we poured our hearts into creating something unique.”
Nightingale in the coal mine
Following a bad year for live service games, Inflexion Games followed in Rocksteady’s footsteps, adding an offline mode post launch to its previously-online only title, Nightingale. Tencent purchased Improbable Games’ stake in Inflexion Games in 2022. Nightingale is Inflexion Games’ debut title, and despite boasting strong player numbers at launch, the game has struggled to retain them.
Update 10/23: This story has been updated to properly reflect
