I miss E3

June 8, 2026 - 11:33

Despite its many flaws, nothing has come close to capturing the magic of E3. The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo was never perfect. It was overcrowded, exhausting, and often felt like a corporate circus. But it was also the one week each year when the entire gaming world stopped to watch the same thing at the same time.

E3 was a shared experience. You would wake up early to catch a press conference, refresh live blogs during work, and argue with friends about who "won" the show. The leaks, the surprise announcements, the awkward stage moments, the crowd's roar when a long-awaited sequel finally appeared on screen. It was messy, loud, and genuinely exciting.

The shift to digital events and smaller showcases has given us more direct communication from developers, but it has also fragmented the audience. There is no single water cooler moment anymore. Instead, we get a drip-feed of trailers spread across months. Summer Game Fest, Nintendo Directs, and State of Plays are fine, but they lack the tension and spectacle of a live hall filled with thousands of people.

E3 also forced publishers to compete. They had to bring their best, or risk being overshadowed. That pressure created memorable moments. The reveal of the PS4 price, the "Gabe Newell counts to three" joke, the entire Xbox One reveal disaster. These were events, not just announcements.

I do not miss the long lines, the expensive badges, or the corporate spin. I miss the feeling that for one week, the entire industry was in the same room, trying to impress us. No online showcase has matched that energy. And maybe nothing ever will.