E3 2023 has been cancelled — it is not taking place in any type, in-person or digital, this 12 months. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) confirmed the information on Twitter, following an unique report from IGN primarily based on emails despatched to its members. It talked about that whereas E3 was a beloved model, the 2023 version ‘merely didn’t garner the sustained curiosity needed’ to execute the occasion in a fashion that might show the dimensions and energy of the video games trade. In January, the massive three — PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo — pulled out of the summer season online game occasion, leaving barely any main publishers.
Following IGN’s report, E3 2023 organiser ReedPop issued a public assertion. “This was a difficult decision because of all the effort we and our partners put toward making this event happen, but we had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3,” Kyle Marsden-Kish, Global VP of gaming, ReedPop mentioned, including that plenty of publishers and builders within the occasion would not even have playable demos prepared for showcase. “For those that did decide to E3 2023, we’re sorry we will not placed on the showcase you deserve and that you have come to count on from ReedPop’s occasion experiences”, he continued.
The show was supposed to be held from June 13–16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, marking the first in-person E3 since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. It took a digital, digital strategy in 2021, after which, the occasion received cancelled once more in 2022.
Earlier this week, Ubisoft backed out of E3 2023, after having previously committed to it. The publisher has chosen to ‘move in a different direction,’ and will now hold its own, separate Ubisoft Forward Live event on June 12 in LA. Further details on the same will be revealed in time, albeit CEO Yves Guillemot promised ‘lots of things to show.’ Following that announcement, even Tencent and Yakuza publisher Sega have been confirmed to be skipping E3.
Just like Ubisoft, Microsoft might be internet hosting an Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, with an in-depth function for Bethesda’s upcoming sci-fi RPG Starfield, planned for later. Meanwhile, Nintendo and PlayStation will continue hosting their respective online events to showcase new games and updates. Alternatively, they could be joining hands with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest — at this point, there’s no telling.
Since 2020 — the pandemic era — Keighley’s month-long-running Summer Game Fest has dethroned E3 as the industry’s key destination to reveal the biggest games and news. Also, being a digital, online-only event, publishers don’t have to spend large amounts to secure a physical booth. The year’s festival kicks off on June 8 and has already swiped Xbox and Ubisoft from beneath E3’s feet as some of its main highlights. The Summer Game Fest 2023 will be streamed live from the YouTube Theatre in Los Angeles, and funnily enough, put out its new promotional trailer right after ESA’s announcement.
