E3 2018

E3 2018 brought StreamerHouse 276 viewers as the gaming industry's biggest trade show delivered its last truly great showcase before the format's decline. Microsoft announced Halo Infinite, Sony skipped the traditional conference for a weird four-game deep-dive, Nintendo revealed Smash Bros Ultimate, Bethesda memed Skyrim ports before Starfield teasing, and EA's show was so forgettable nobody remembers it. Cyberpunk 2077 stole the show with Keanu Reeves' surprise appearance becoming instant meme material. The expo still mattered in 2018—developers coordinated announcements around the June event, media covered it wall-to-wall, and players tuned in expecting megaton reveals. Within a few years, COVID accelerated E3's death as publishers realized they didn't need an expensive LA show when they could host their own digital events. StreamerHouse covering E3 2018 captured the format at its twilight peak—still culturally relevant, still producing moments, but already showing cracks as companies questioned the value. By 2023, E3 would be officially dead, killed by economics and pandemic acceleration. The 2018 show was the last hurrah nobody knew was ending.