East PlayStation Owner Shawn Layden has commented on the downfall of E3, claiming the show didn't know what it wanted to be and couldn't navigate the transition from trade show to consumer show. Shawn Leyden appeared regularly at E3 during his time with PlayStation, giving presentations and meeting with people from around the world.
E3 is short for Electronic Entertainment Expo, an annual event that has played an important role in the gaming industry for decades. The event took place in Los Angeles, California from 1995 to 2019. E3 was last held in 2021, but the once-yearly show hasn't reappeared since then. At one point, E3 was a highly regarded event. Many gamers will eagerly await the show, as developers often create impressive E3 presentations designed to dominate the headlines for the day. While many developers still prepare exciting trailers for shows like Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards, many fans feel that no single event brings the entire industry together like E3.
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Shawn Layden breaks down the dos and don'ts of E3
In a recent appearance on Game Rant's Character Selection, Shawn Layden talked about his experiences with E3. When asked about the fallout from E3, Layden simply said, “It didn't know what it wanted to be.” He said that the E3 trade show was held in 1995. As a trade show, its main function was to bring companies and retailers together. As he explained, anyone from a retailer walking the trade show floor looking for products they might be willing to carry in their stores. As such, a developer would show what they were working on and try to sell the retailer on why they should carry the game. He also discussed the importance of the press at E3, as gaming magazines were still a popular way for gamers to connect with the hobby. Impressing a journalist can land you on the September cover of a major magazine, which will be beneficial for anyone marketing their game or product. Leyden expressed that this was all standard business, but things began to change in the early 2000s.
The rise of the internet meant that the media surrounding video games became more prevalent, which meant that more information would be leaked ahead of the event. Retailers also became more knowledgeable about games and didn't need much guidance when choosing which ones to buy. Leyden also explained that, from a retail perspective, E3 in June didn't really work. According to Layden, June was too late for retailers looking to stock their shelves with promising products in time for the Christmas rush. Those types of deals usually happen at the beginning of the year in January or February. Instead, the expo served almost as a progress report on the products retailers had already committed to carrying. According to Layden, this was the moment where E3 “lost its purpose” as a trade show.
He said that while people behind E3 wanted to build on the consumer elements, trade shows and consumer shows are fundamentally different. He offered the popular Tokyo Game Show as an example of a successful consumer show, allowing gamers to easily experience a variety of titles. In contrast, Layden said trade show booths are “traps,” because companies want to hold the attention of booth visitors for as long as possible. After all, moving to the next booth means paying attention to the competition. Unfortunately, E3 never fully adapted or fully committed to being a consumer show, which likely contributed to its demise. While E3 may be gone, several other events stand up to fill the void. For example, fans looking for new announcements can always tune in to Summer Game Fest, which offers a fresh look at upcoming titles.
