The phrase also evokes the communal emotional highs that defined the show’s peak years. Moments like the 2015 "Sony Trifecta"—the announcement of Final Fantasy VII Remake, Shenmue III, and The Last Guardian—became legendary because of the collective disbelief they triggered. For that one week in June, the barriers between different fanbases often dissolved, replaced by a universal appreciation for the medium’s future. It was a time when the industry felt cohesive, driven by a shared calendar and a centralized stage where everyone, from indie creators to industry titans, vied for the world’s attention.
At its core, E3 was designed as a business-to-business convention for retailers and journalists. However, as digital streaming became the standard in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the "us" in the equation expanded. It was no longer just the suit-and-tie executives in the Los Angeles Convention Center; it was the teenager in Tokyo, the developer in Sweden, and the casual player in Brazil all watching the same live feed simultaneously. This synchronization created a unique form of digital communion. When a legendary franchise was revived or a "world premiere" trailer debuted, the internet reacted as a single organism, effectively making every viewer a part of the "All of Us" narrative.
The video game industry is often defined by singular moments of collective anticipation, and few events in recent memory captured that energy like the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Within this history, the phrase "All of Us" has become a symbolic shorthand for the community’s shared experience during these showcases. To understand the significance of "All of Us" at E3, one must look at how the event transitioned from a corporate trade show into a global cultural phenomenon that unified millions of gamers through shared excitement and disappointment.
However, the legacy of "All of Us" at E3 is now tinged with nostalgia following the event’s permanent cancellation in 2023. The industry has since moved toward a decentralized model of "Directs" and "State of Play" broadcasts. While these digital events are efficient, they often lack the singular, concentrated "town square" feeling that E3 provided. The loss of E3 represents a shift away from a unified moment of celebration toward a more fragmented landscape where information is siloed and the sense of a collective "us" is harder to maintain.
