E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual event for the video game industry organized by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It took place mainly in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, and its last event was held online in 2021. The event brought together developers, publishers, hardware makers, and other professionals who used it to share news about new games, hardware, and products with the press. During its time, E3 was the world's largest and most important annual gaming event.

E3 had an area where companies displayed their upcoming games and products for sale. Before and during the event, publishers and hardware makers often held press conferences to announce new games and products. Before 2017, E3 was only open to industry professionals, and the ESA required attendees to prove they worked in the video game industry. Later, as streaming media grew, some press conferences were shown to the public to increase interest. E3 2017 was the first time the event allowed the general public to attend, with 15,000 tickets given out.

When held in Los Angeles, E3 took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 event was held online, which received mixed reactions. The 2022 event was also canceled due to the pandemic, and no online version was held. The ESA planned to return to an in-person event in 2023 with a new format, including a fan-focused section at a different location with ReedPop.

The pandemic caused more companies to hold their own online events to promote games directly to consumers. Schedules for game development, which were often tied to E3, were disrupted. Publishers also became worried about the costs of participating in the event. E3 2023 was canceled after major publishers stopped attending. E3 2024 was also canceled in September 2023 to plan for 2025. On December 12, 2023, the ESA announced that E3 would no longer be held.

In August 2025, the E3 website was updated to say, "ESA's conference and trade show is changing directions."

History

Before E3, game companies showed new products at other events like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the European Computer Trade Show. They also sold products to stores for the rest of the year, including the holiday season, and looked for media coverage about upcoming games. As the video game industry grew quickly in the early 1990s, industry leaders believed it needed a better place to showcase games. Tom Kalinske, CEO of Sega of America, said that CES had placed video games in poor conditions, such as a tent near adult content vendors. In 1991, rain damaged Sega’s new Genesis system, and Kalinske was upset with how CES treated the industry. Sega stopped attending CES, and other companies followed.

In 1994, the video game industry created the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), which later became the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). This happened after the U.S. Congress raised concerns about the lack of a rating system for video games. The IDSA aimed to bring the industry together and form the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) to create a voluntary rating system approved by Congress.

Industry leaders recognized the need for a trade show focused on retailers. Eliot Minsker, CEO of Knowledge Industry Publications, said retailers needed an event to help them make better buying decisions by meeting publishers, vendors, and industry experts. Efforts to improve video games’ presence at CES failed. Pat Ferrell, creator of GamePro, proposed a dedicated video game trade show, inspired by IDG’s experience with the Macworld convention. Ferrell contacted the IDSA, which supported the idea and helped start the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) with IDG.

Although some companies agreed to join E3, Ferrell learned that CES had offered video game companies a special space at the next event, which would conflict with E3. Most IDSA members supported E3, while Nintendo and Microsoft preferred CES. After negotiations, CES canceled its video game event, making E3 the main trade show for the industry.

The first E3 was held from May 11 to 13, 1995, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Organizers were unsure of its success, but the event filled most of the space and attracted over 40,000 attendees. E3 became the biggest event in the video game industry. The IDSA later took full ownership of E3 and hired IDG to help run the event. At this E3, Sega introduced the Sega Saturn priced at $399, and Sony unveiled the PlayStation console for $299. This price cut had a major impact on the console competition between Sega, Sony, and Nintendo. From then on, E3 became important in reporting which company “won” based on their product displays.

In 1996, IDG and the IDSA tried to hold a Japanese version of E3 at the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo. However, Sony withdrew support, and Sega canceled last-minute, leaving Nintendo as the only major company to participate. The event had poor turnout, and planned E3 events in Singapore and Canada did not happen.

Due to problems securing space in Los Angeles, E3 in 1997 and 1998 moved to the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Attendance dropped significantly, partly because many game companies were based on the West Coast, making travel costs high. E3 returned to Los Angeles in 1999, and attendance grew to 60,000 to 70,000 people.

E3 also started supporting online communities, such as E365, introduced in 2006, which helped attendees network.

After the 2006 event, the ESA found that exhibitors worried about the high costs of participating, which could reach $5–$10 million. Many attendees were bloggers or non-professionals, making it harder for companies to reach their target audience. These issues led to concerns that E3 might fail, as had happened to the COMDEX trade show. Large vendors threatened to leave E3, which could cause others to follow.

To address these problems, the ESA announced in July 2006 that E3 would be smaller and only allow media and retail attendees. For 2007 and 2008, E3 was renamed the E3 Media and Business Summit and moved to July. The 2007 event was held in Santa Monica, California, with about 10,000 attendees, and the 2008 event returned to Los Angeles but limited attendance to 5,000 people.

The ESA faced criticism for shrinking E3. Industry analyst Michael Pachter said that removing consumers reduced media coverage and hurt publishers’ visibility. He also noted that retailers were less interested because of the later event date. Activision, an ESA member since the beginning, decided to leave E3.