For the first time in a quarter of a decade, video game industry personality and creator of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley, won’t be participating in the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles this June.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Keighley said he didn’t “feel comfortable participating [in E3] this year” after what has been shared about this year’s event.
The ESA (the company that hosts E3) has been involved in major controversy since last year when it was revealed that the personal information of thousands of journalists and content creators who attended E3 2019 was available to download by anyone with access to a specific website address. The situation worsened when it became clear that the data of professionals who attended E3 2018 was also available to outside users.
Then, in September 2019, GameDaily.biz received a look at a “pitch deck” that detailed the ESA’s plans to overhaul E3 by focusing on things like “experience hubs” and allowing more consumers (as opposed to industry professionals) to attend the event.
Keighley isn’t the first major name or brand to walk away from the yearly video game convention for 2020. In January, PlayStation confirmed that it wouldn’t be participating in this year’s event either.
While Keighley won’t be involved in this year’s E3 Coliseum, it’s important to point out that his statement didn’t actually say that no E3 Coliseum would take place. It just said that he wouldn’t be the one to produce it.
Keighley’s also shared a statement regarding his decision on his personal Twitter account. It reads:
“For the past 25 years, I have attended every Electronic Entertainment Expo. Covering, hosting, and sharing E3 has always been a highlight of my year, not to mention a defining part of my career.
“I’ve debated what to say about E3 2020. While I want to support the developers who will showcase their work, I also need to be open and honest with you, the fans, about precisely what to expect from me.”
“I have made the difficult decision to decline to produce E3 Coliseum. For the first time in 25 years, I will not be participating in E3. I look forward to supporting the industry in other ways and at other events in the future.”
