E3, short for Electronic Entertainment Expo, was an annual trade event for the video game industry. It was organized by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and took place mainly in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019. The last event in 2021 was held online. At E3, developers, publishers, hardware makers, and other industry professionals gathered to share news about upcoming games, hardware, and merchandise with the press. During its time, E3 was the largest and most important annual gaming event in the world.
The event featured an exhibition area where companies displayed their products and games planned for the next year. Before and during E3, publishers and hardware makers often held press conferences to announce new games and products. Until 2017, E3 was only open to industry professionals, who had to prove they worked in the video game field. Later, with the growth of online streaming, some press conferences were shown to the public. In 2017, E3 became open to the public for the first time, offering 15,000 general-admission passes.
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. In 2021, E3 was held online, but this received mixed reactions. The 2022 event was also canceled due to the pandemic, and no online version was held. In 2023, the ESA planned to return to an in-person event with a new format, including a fan convention at a different location with ReedPop.
The pandemic caused more companies to hold their own presentations to promote games directly to consumers. This changed how games were developed and released, as schedules tied to E3 were disrupted. In 2023, E3 was canceled after major publishers stopped participating. The 2024 event 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 their new or upcoming products at other trade shows, such as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the European Computer Trade Show. These events allowed companies to sell products to stores before they were released, prepare for the holiday season, and gain media attention. As the video game industry grew quickly in the early 1990s, industry leaders believed the older trade shows were no longer suitable. Tom Kalinske, CEO of Sega of America, said that CES had placed the video game industry in a poor location, even in a tent during a rainstorm in 1991. This treatment led Sega and other companies to leave CES.
In 1994, the video game industry created the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), later renamed the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), to address concerns from the U.S. Congress about the lack of a rating system for games. The IDSA formed the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) to create a voluntary rating system that Congress approved.
Industry leaders recognized the need for a trade show focused on retailers. Eliot Minsker, CEO of Knowledge Industry Publications, explained that retailers needed an event to help them make better buying decisions by interacting with game companies, vendors, and industry leaders. Efforts to improve video games' presence at CES failed, so Pat Ferrell, creator of GamePro, proposed a dedicated trade show. Ferrell partnered with the IDSA to create the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
Although some companies supported E3, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) offered video game companies space at CES, which would have conflicted with E3. Most IDSA members supported E3, while Nintendo and Microsoft preferred CES. After negotiations, CEA canceled its CES video game event, allowing E3 to become the main trade show for the industry.
The first E3 was held in May 1995 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Organizers were unsure of its success, but it attracted over 40,000 attendees and filled most of the convention space. E3 quickly became the largest event in the video game industry. The IDSA later took full ownership of E3 and hired IDG to help organize the event. During this first E3, Sega introduced the Sega Saturn for $399, and Sony unveiled the PlayStation console for $299, which had a major impact on the console market.
In 1996, IDG and the IDSA tried to hold a Japanese version of E3 in Tokyo, but it had poor attendance due to lack of support from Japanese companies. Later E3 events in Singapore and Canada did not happen.
In 1997 and 1998, E3 was held in Atlanta due to space issues in Los Angeles. Attendance dropped significantly because many game companies were based on the West Coast, making travel costs too high. E3 returned to Los Angeles in 1999 and continued to grow, with attendance reaching 60,000 to 70,000 people.
E3 also started supporting online communities, such as E365, which helped attendees connect.
By 2006, many exhibitors worried about the high costs of participating in E3, which could reach $5–$10 million per booth. They also noted that many attendees were not industry professionals, which reduced the effectiveness of the event. To address these issues, the ESA (formerly IDSA) announced in 2006 that E3 would be downsized and restructured. Attendance was limited to media and retail professionals, and the event was renamed the E3 Media and Business Summit. In 2007 and 2008, E3 was held in Santa Monica and Los Angeles, but with much smaller attendance, around 10,000 and 5,000 people, respectively.
Critics, including analyst Michael Pachter, argued that limiting attendance to non-consumers reduced media coverage and hurt publishers' opportunities. Retailers also became less interested due to the event's later timing. Some companies, like Activision, left the ESA, signaling challenges for E3's future.