After E3 2023 was canceled since it didn’t get support from major game publishers, gamers across the world called it the death knell of the event. Now, it looks like the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Electronic Entertainment Expo are also in jeopardy - but not quite cancelled just yet.

The global pandemic has changed how the gaming world sees in-person events. Live gaming conventions like E3 look to be a thing of the past as most publishers have been preferring and perfecting live streaming events. The Summer Game Fest morphed into a hybrid event and placed more emphasis on the livestream than its in-person activities.

According to a report from the Los Angeles City Tourism Commission, E3 won’t be returning in 2024 and 2025. What's more, the information was a footnote in a Citywide Convention Sales report. LA tourism authorities do not expect the show to come back anytime soon, nor do they seem to care much.

While LA’s Tourism Board thinks that E3 isn't returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Electronic Software Association has not decided on the matter. In a statement to Gamesindustry.biz, a spokesperson for the ESA said that the trade body is still discussing E3 2024 and beyond.

From an ESA note sent to members (game publishers): “We expect E3 to continue to be a part of ESA’s storytelling and are currently in conversation with a number of stakeholders about what E3 2024 (and beyond) should look like to best serve the interactive entertainment industry.”

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 22, 2023

"ESA is currently in conversation with ESA members and other stakeholders about E3 2024 (and beyond), and no final decisions about the events have been made at this time," the spokesperson said, in perfect corpo-speak.

The ESA also sent a note to its members saying, "We expect E3 to continue to be a part of ESA’s storytelling and are currently in conversation with a number of stakeholders about what E3 2024 (and beyond) should look like to best serve the interactive entertainment industry."

Following the cancellation of E3 2023, ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said that there would be another E3 convention. Both at the time, and currently, many speculate that the statement was a marketing tactic rather than a true indication of what is to come.

"E3 will iterate to ensure it's meeting the needs of companies that want to market on this global platform," Pierre-Louis said. "That means it will iterate in how people engage with E3. We want to meet the needs of players who view this as an important platform and that's going to evolve over time."

Given the statement from the ESA, E3 2024 doesn’t look like a surefire thing at this point. It will take support from a good number of publishers for the convention to return to its former glory. The ESA will have to win back publishers that have opted to take games showcase events to streaming platforms.

Following E3 2023’s cancelation, The Summer Game Fest has taken center stage. Geoff Keighley kicked off a parade of online events two-hour-long event. The month-long event features independent showcase events from Xbox, PlayStation, Ubisoft, and more.