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In a recent VGC Podcast interview, Summer Game Fest host/producer Geoff Keighley hit back against claims that SGF is responsible for the death of E3–the Entertainment Software Association’s seemingly defunct (but once very popular) annual gaming expo.
“I think E3 sort of killed itself in a way,” Keighley said when asked about his show’s reputation as the source of E3’s downfall. “I understand why people say [I killed E3], but I think if anything, we created Summer Game Fest, and I built Summer Game Fest because I saw the wheels falling off the wagon of E3.”
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Keighley created Summer Game Fest in 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic led to E3 2020’s cancellation. Ideas for a virtual event were entertained by the ESA, but never materialized. After the cancellation of E3 2021 and 2022, Summer Game Fest’s popularity only grew. As a live-streamed online showcase from the start, SGF had managed to put together a safe, functional gaming showcase that was more accessible to the general public than E3 had historically been.
“E3 was part of my life since I was a 15-year-old kid,” Keighley said on the podcast, making it clear he had no ill will toward the event or the organization behind it. “[From] the first E3 in 1995, I went to every show. I loved it and it defined my summer.”
Keighley also made it clear he was sad to hear of E3’s fate, especially after the 2023 show’s recent cancellation was announced.
“[E3] was so exciting to me, and it was heartbreaking to see that start to fall apart,” Keighley shared. “I think they had a relevancy problem, and then they also had a participation problem over the final years.”
Though E3 hasn’t officially nixed plans for a potential 2024 showcase, it’s beginning to look less and less likely, especially as more publishers and developers imitate Nintedo’s popular Nintendo Direct showcases, which provide a closer look at upcoming games to players and press members alike. Sony and Xbox have followed in Nintendo’s footsteps, creating their own respective showcases and giving each publisher a bit more control over what the public sees. Microsoft will be hosting two this weekend with the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct.
Because of this, it seems that regardless of SGF’s existence, E3’s downfall left a power vacuum that would have been filled one way or another–SGF just happened to get there first. Without SGF, things could have arguably gone much worse for the world of gaming showcases.
“Yeah, I think the question is, if we didn’t do Summer Game Fest what would happen?” Keighley said. “I think things would have just kind of really splintered apart this summer.”
Summer Game Fest 2023 starts at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET on Thursday, June 8.
