In response to the challenges faced by the video game industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) decided to host a fully digital version of E3 in 2021. This allowed developers and publishers to showcase their content online. However, this decision ultimately resulted in financial losses for the organization, according to publicly available tax documents filed by the ESA for that year.
Tax documents discovered by IGN reveal that the ESA spent approximately $7.3 million on “conferences, conventions, and meetings” throughout 2021. This expense ranked as the second highest for the ESA that year, with the highest being wages, including a payment of $1.5 million to ESA president Stanley Pierre-Louis.
The tax documents also provide a list of contractors who were paid by the ESA for their contributions to E3:
- $3.9 million to Paragon Creative Agency LLC for “trade show management”
- $1.6 million to Game Cloud Network Inc. for “E3 web platform”
- $580,000 to Smithbucklin for “trade show management”
In addition to these financial findings, it has been mentioned during a recent City Tourism Board meeting in Los Angeles that E3 2024 and E3 2025 have been cancelled. However, the ESA has stated that no final decisions have been made regarding future E3 conferences at this time.
E3 2023 was already cancelled in late March after several companies, including Nintendo, Xbox, and Ubisoft, decided not to participate. The ESA informed its members via email that the event “did not generate enough sustained interest to justify its execution and effectively showcase the influence and significance of our industry.”
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Basant Kasayap is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Bollywood to regional cinema, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
