E3 just took another massive hit this year. iam8bit has resigned as the Creative Directors for E3 2020, painting an uncertain picture for the future of the show. Earlier this year, just after Sony announced that it wouldn’t be attending E3 2020 (the second year the company has stepped away), the ESA propped up its partnership with iam8bit as an evolution of the E3 show floor and experience. Just over a month later, iam8bit is now announcing its resignation from involvement as Creative Directors for E3 2020.
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.
— iam8bit (@iam8bit) March 5, 2020
The resignation came via tweet, which, while cordial, lacked any reasoning behind the decision. This makes it unlikely to be related to coronavirus (COVID-19), which the company would have no reason to tiptoe around. The most logical explanation resulting in the genial announcement is creative differences between iam8bit and the ESA for E3 2020. iam8bit would not be the first to question the ESA’s vision for the show. Geoff Keighley announced that he wouldn’t be involved in this year’s E3 because he was “not comfortable” with the vision that the organization had for the industry trade show.
Coronavirus is just another major obstacle the expo faces this year as the outbreak grows in the US. The ESA’s most recent statement indicated that the show is scheduled to continue, but without the involvement of iam8bit, the future of E3 2020 grows increasingly uncertain. The ESA has yet to make a statement regarding iam8bit’s resignation or what this means for E3 2020 and beyond. Without a creative force to reinvigorate the show and with multiple major exhibitors and attendees dropping out—not to mention the looming threat COVID-19 presents—it’s quite possible we could be watching the demise of E3 in realtime.
