In years past, all the biggest gaming news, exclusive reveals and world firsts happened in one place: the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Los Angeles. First held in 1995 and typically held in June, E3 is a multiday event in which game companies from around the globe gather to show off their latest titles to the press and fans. But this year, once again, E3 was canceled.

Others rushed in to fill the void, and now, the in-person Tokyo Game Show (TGS) this September is more important than ever.

"It's the power of personal interaction, especially among people working in the game industry,” says Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based game industry consultancy Kantan Games. ”Let's not forget a lot of deals happen directly at the venues of these shows. As a gamer, I personally enjoy the atmosphere of these shows and the possibility to go hands-on with unreleased games, interact with other fans or make new connections."

In a socially distanced world, the canceled in-person aspect disrupted the gaming expo business model. Earlier this year, E3 was shelved due to the global pandemic. This was not the first time COVID-19 put the kibosh on the show: In 2020, COVID-19 also caused the expo's cancellation. E3 was held in 2021 as a free, online event with Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami and more all participating.

With this year's E3 on ice, TV personality Geoff Keighley hosted the Summer Game Fest, a two-hour broadcast that unveiled some new game footage but didn't quite live up to the expectations of breaking exclusive game news. PlayStation, Xbox and other gaming giants all held their own events in June to plug the E3 gap with varying degrees of success.

But the last few years without E3 have raised an important question: Do people miss the giant convention halls, booths and stage presentations or just the news they deliver?

"It's perhaps a generational phenomenon where younger gamers don't care about physical events anymore," Toto says. "For game industry professionals, the online versions of these events are way, way less effective than the physical ones. The organizers are trying hard to enable deals online, but no Zoom call can replace a handshake."

TGS, traditionally Japan's biggest gaming event, canceled the in-person aspect of the event in 2020 with a digital version held in its place. The following year, the show’s in-person event ended up as a scaled-down, business-only affair without any fanfare or crowds. This year, for the first time since 2019, the show will be held in person at Chiba’s Makuhari Messe convention center much to the delight of game companies, members of the media and fans.

TGS hasn't been much of a source for breaking news for years, and Nintendo traditionally does not participate, which has made it a difficult event for games journalists to cover. Nevertheless, the gaming public always shows up, with strong attendance until the pandemic hit: In 2019 (the last pre-COVID-19 year) 262,076 attendees made it to the four-day expo. The previous year, a record-breaking 298,690 visitors crossed through Makuhari Messe’s doors.

Even before the pandemic, there were warning signs for both E3 and TGS. In 2019, Sony didn't attend — ditto for 2020.

"The world has changed, but E3 hasn't necessarily changed with it," Shawn Layden, then-chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment, told CNET in 2019, explaining that the event's original purpose was to connect game companies with retailers and media in the pre-internet days. "So the trade show became a trade show without a lot of trade activity."

To Layden, E3 and events like it needed to become more like San Diego’s fan-centric Comic-Con to stay relevant. Fans keep showing up at the Tokyo Game Show in droves, even as the gaming press has increasingly become lukewarm about the newsworthiness of the show. For the media, the point of these shows is one-stop-shopping for news and announcements — but that’s not why fans keep coming.

While the media get behind-doors exclusive game demos without lines, fans wait for hours for a chance to play upcoming titles for a few minutes. There is excitement and anticipation — both of which seem lacking in today’s on-demand culture. They meet and make friends and soak up what these shows are really about: a shared experience that cannot be replicated on a YouTube stream.

Don’t expect this year’s Tokyo Game Show to be wall-to-wall game news. There will be announcements, sure, but that’s not why fans are excited to attend. With remote work and Zoom calls now the norm, the in-person experience is more powerful than ever.