This week brought the announcement that E3 was cancelled in its entirety. No more phyiscal show. No digital show. There would be no E3 at all. This is neither surprising nor concerning.
The reality is that the video game industry has been moving away from E3 for quite some time. Developers and publishers have better ways to promote their games than attending an expensive show (see: Nintendo Directs). The back-room industry stuff is done better at other events (GDC), and other events also do a better job of bringing the community together (TGS, PAX).
E3 was a dinosaur and, yes, sure it’s a little sad that we lose the raw energy that had us all awake to all hours to watch presentations and discuss with others. But the industry isn’t going to be harmed by this at all.
What is very sad is that Mohammad Fahmi, the artist responsible for Coffee Talk, and in many ways the person that put Indonesia on the map as a place for game development, has passed away at just 32 years of age. If you scroll down you’ll see that Rice Digital has written a touching tribute to an incredible talent. 32 years is too young, but Fahmi had an incredible impact on many of us in the time that he was with us. Vale, and thank you.
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