Creative production company iam8bit have announced they will not be involved with E3 2020.
Earlier reports also announced that E3 2020 would be a “new and revitalized experience.” The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced that “for E3 2020, we’re collaborating with industry insiders and new creative partners, including the tastemakers at iam8bit, to reinvigorate the show and, frankly, to shake things up.”
This may also match claims from a leaked document, stating E3 would rebrand as a “Fan, Media, and Influencer Festival.” The document also proposed an industry-only day during the first day of the convention, which has come to pass (June 9th).
Aside from Sony announcing on January 13th they would be skipping E3 for the second time, Geoff Keighley also announced he would be skipping E3 2020 for the first time in 25 years. His comments seemed to indicate he did not approve of the direction the conference was going.
When asked on Twitter what fueled his decision not to participate, Keighley replied, “A ton of factors, I just don’t really feel comfortable participating given what I know about the show as of today.”
Now, iam8bit have announced they will no longer be involved with E3 2020. The tweet from their official Twitter account reads as follows:
“It’s with mixed emotions that @iam8bit has decided to resign as Creative Directors of what was to be an evolutionary #E32020 floor experience. We’ve produced hundreds of gaming + community events and it was a dream to be involved with E3. We wish the organizers the best of luck.”
Combined with Keighley not wishing to get involved, and the increasing number of developers and publishers using Nintendo Direct-style livestreams, many commented that there were massive red flags around the upcoming convention.
Whether E3 2020 will run at all is still under suspicion, with the city of Los Angeles declaring a state of emergency due to the coronavirus. Nonetheless, the ESA announced they were “monitoring and evaluating the situation daily.”
E3 2020 will run from June 9th to June 11th, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Image: ESA Official Website
