Geoff Keighley is a mainstay in many of the gaming industry’s biggest events, whether it’s his own, like The Game Awards, or events he produces for conventions, Keighley works year-round. Yet even Keighley is willing to pull out of an event which he doesn’t have full confidence in. That appears to be the case withE3 2020. Keighly confirmed on Wednesday that he’s made the decision not to produce the annualE3Coliseum Livestream for this year’s convention.
To explain his decision,Keighleyprovided a statement that seems surprisingly emotional. Keighley notes that he has “attended every Electronic Entertainment Expo” for the past 25 years. His attendance has involved covering E3 as a journalist, hosting panels and events, and just enjoying the event for what it is. Basically, it’s clear how much E3 means to him. Which should give weight to his ultimate choice not to participate in E3 2020.
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Keighley doesn’t supply justification for his choice. He describes the decision as “difficult,” though that’s already quite apparent. When asked directly what factors led to his decision, Keighley responded that “it’s a combination of things.” However, in another response, he does tell a fan, “I just don’t feel comfortable participating given what I know about the show as of today.” Exactly what aboutE3 2020makes Keighley uncomfortable isn’t clarified.
While Keighley won’t be attending or participating in E3 itself, he does leave the door open to E3-adjacent events. In several answers to fan questions, Keighley says that he’d be open tooff-site events held by EAor Microsoft that aren’t part of the show itself. He also says he’s open to working with Youtube for E3 coverage.
The only other thing that Keighley felt like addressing was why he decided to make an announcement so early in advance. Keighley explains that, since his typical E3 work is so heavily tied toshowcasing games likeMarvel’s Avengers, as well as the developers that worked on them, he felt it necessary to be straight forward about his plans.
Geoff Keighley’s announcement comes off the back of a new wave of speculation about which companies will or won’t be attending E3 2020. A big splash was made byPlayStation announcing that it won’t be participating in E3for a second straight year. Fans have wondered if other big publishers also won’t participate, but that doesn’t seem to be the case outside of Electronic Arts, as usual. But apparently it’s not just game developers considering dropping E3, but also personalities and outlets that have played a key roll in the convention for a very long time.
