Fewer people attended E3 in 2019 than 2018

While 200+ exhibitors showed off their latest games at E3 2019 this year – a figure broadly in line with previous years – the expo attracted 3,000 fewer visitors than it did last year, dropping to a little over 66,000 attendees. A press release from the ESA – the trade organisation that runs E3 – also confirmed that E3 generated 3.2 million conversations on Twitter, whilst the live stage presentations that make up E3 Coliseum – which featured talks from Jack Black, Will Wright, Elon Musk, and Todd Howard – generated 1.2 million online viewers.

“E3 is where the video game industry’s biggest brands and biggest fans converge to shape the future. E3’s energy and excitement were felt in the halls, on the floors, and press conferences,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of ESA. “We broke records, saw incredible innovations, and had breathtaking moments that entertained the world. Congratulations to our creative and innovative exhibitors, members, and partners who made such a fantastic E3 possible.”

While Sony’s unprecedented announcement that it will not be attending this year’s E3 marked the company’s first absence in the expo’s 24-year history, both Nintendo and Microsoft had a presence at this year’s show. Activision, however, also chose not to have a show floor booth, whilst EA, too, announced it would not be holding its traditional E3 press conference but instead focussed on its community-facing events. EA Play ran from Friday, June 7th, 2019, until June 9th, and featured a selection of live streaming events to showcase its upcoming titles where viewers saw “less talk and more play”, with “an event entirely focused on the heartbeat of EA Play: our player communities and the games they love”.

Next year’s show will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center yet again, running from June 9th, 2020, to June 11th.

Read more of our stories and analysis from E3 2019.