The revival is off

After several ??reports and confirmations of companies backing out of the show, the Entertainment Software Association (or ESA) has confir?med that E3 2023 is officially canceled.

The news first broke via a report from IGN, where two s??ources confirmed that the organization has announced E3's cancellation through an email sent out to members today. The email says that while E3 is a "beloved event and brand," the 2023 version "did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, str?ength, and impact of our industry."

In an o??fficial press release, the ESA and show organizer ReedPop confirmed the cancellation of both the physical and digital portions of E3. Both were scheduled for June.

"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," said Kyle Marsden-Kish, Global VP of Gaming at ReedPop. "We appreciate and understand that interested companies wouldn't have playable demos ready and that resourcing challenges made being at E3 this summer an obstacle they couldn’t overcome. For those who did commit to E3 2023, we’re sorry we can’t put on the showcase you deserve and that you’ve come to expect from ReedPop’s event experiences.�/p>

The ESA an?d ReedPop will continue to work together on future E3 events. "Many" of the digital showcases scheduled around E3's dates will still go forward.

Cruel summer

The ESA reaffirmed last year that it would return to an in-person event with E3 2023, after cancellations and online-only events marked its last few years. It even partnered with PAX organizer ReedPop to make this year's show happen, pitching a concept that would include both industry and consumer days similar to Gamescom.

Despite those efforts, it looks like publishers did not want to sign on. The Big Three of Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft were all set to skip the show, though the latter will still hold its own showcase this summer. Ubisoft backed out of its plans, opting for its own Forward showcase as well. And Sega, Tencent, and Devolver soon followed suit. Yes, even the Devolver parking lot would have been absent. ??It's really not E3? without that.

That said, the summer's not called off ?just yet. The Summer Game Fest is still on, and as mentioned, there are several publishers planning to host showcases this June. Really, it seems like it will just be another summer without E3. At this point, the question is whether an E3 revival can actually happen.

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Who's left?

Might as well start unpacking your bags; IGN is reporting that Sega and Tencent have confirmed to them that they are going to be skipping E3 2023. At this point, the list of companies not attending outsizes the ones who have confirmed they are.

While the two biggest takeaways from IGN’s article is that Sega and Tencent ??won’t be on the floor, they also received word that Devolver Digital isn’t attending in any capacity. While the publisher would often set up shop in the parking lot as an unofficial demonstration, this year, they’re not even planning that. There will be a Devolver Direct in June, however.

It’s not looking good for E3, which was already facing an uphill? battle in re-establishing itself after the COVID pandemic. While video game conventions and shows are still widespread, E3 has long been held as a sort of video game Christmas that all gamers look forward to. Big game and hardware announcements were withheld for this time of year.

The expo’s battle for relevancy won’t end this year. IGN reached out to numerous publishers to get a response on whether they’ll be attending and got mostly radio silence. While that doesn’t mean they definitely won’t?? be th??ere, in a normal year, most companies would have announced their intentions already.

I have mixed feel???ings about this, but mainly I’m rooting for E3. It’s been running since I was a kid, and I remember getting excited for it and watching video game news. It’s different now that the internet has changed the speed at which we can hear of new events, so maybe this is the unavoidable future, but I’m going to miss that hype-based burst of dopamine.

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Moving Forward

Ubisoft has locked in its plans for a summer Ubisoft F?orward stream, happening around the sam??e time as E3. But as the company confirmed yesterday, that won't be a part of E3 2023.

Posted in a new blog update today, Ubisoft will air its new Forward on June 12 at 10 a.m. PT. The sho??w is set to host the "latest game upda??tes, news, and reveals" both live and in-person from Los Angeles. More details, like the line-up and where to watch, will be on the way. This date puts it directly adjacent to E3 2023, which runs from June 13 through 16.

//twitter.com/Ubisoft/status/1640747302166884352

These details reaffirm what was already reported yesterday, as Ubisoft looks to be skipping E3 2023. Though it had affirmed its commitment to the show in February, a spokesperson gave VGC the following statement yesterday:

"E3 has fostered unforgettable moments across the industry throughout the years. While we initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we’ve made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction, and will be holding a Ubisoft Forward Live event on 12th June in Los Angeles. We look forward to sharing more detai??ls with our p??layers very soon."

Streaming in the vicinity

Ubisoft now joins the likes of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo in not commi??tting to an official E3 presence. In fact, Ubisoft's approach is quite similar t??o Microsoft's: just host a show in town, at your own venue, instead.

This also begs the question of who is committed to E3 2023. While the show, hosted by the ESA and PAX showrunner ReedPop, has locked in its plans for industry/consumer days and other logistic details, it feels like no big name has checked the "yes" box on this particular note. All the while, publisher-hosted shows and alternative options like Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest are still going on.

The summer, it seems, is going to look? a little strange. At the very least, Ubisoft will still have something to show in June; it just won't be under the official banner of E3.

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You be changing your mind

VGC is reporting that Ubisoft has decided to back out of E3's attempted return in 2023. This comes a month after ??they claimed they were finalizing their plans to attend the expo. I suppose those plans are now finalized as being "nope."

Speaking to VGC, a spokesperson reportedly said, "While we initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we’ve made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction, and will be holding a Ubisoft Forward Live event on 12th June in Los Angeles. We look forward to sharing more details with our player??s very soon."

This is disappointing news for anyone who was hoping E3 would return in full form this year after a three-year physical hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sony and Ninten??do have both stated they'll be passing on the expo, with Microsoft holding a separate event?? elsewhere in LA.

While those are hardly the only big companies in the industry today, E3 was ??once an event that publishers would be crazy to miss. It was the biggest event of the year, and while it's still an important time for announcements, the biggest companies in the business are progressively moving further and further away from it. It seems like the only way it would ever return to form would be if these publ?ishers were lured into the convention center with the promise of cake and locked the doors behind them.

There's still something of a question mark above who's still?? going to be attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo, with show organizer Reedpop simply saying that "AAA companies, in addition to indie darlings and tech and hardware firms," will be in attendance.

E3 will be running this year from June 13 through 16 in Los Angeles. You can find the whole tentative schedule right over here.

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Nintendo says the show doesn't fit into its plans

Nintendo is confirming reports that it will not be attending E3 2023. Today, the company says the event doesn't fit into its plans for the year??.

"We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans," said Nintendo in a statement, via IGN. "Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and conti?nue to be a strong supporter of the ESA and E3."

IGN previously reported that Nintendo, alongside Sony and Microsoft, would not be attending this year's E3. Xbox will be hosting its own event in Los Angeles, ?but it won't be on the E3 show floor in the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The state of E3 2023

With its June date closing in, the question remains of which companies will be at E3 2023. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot had said the publisher would be at E3 if the show happened, with the company lat?er clarifying that it does seem set to attend.

The overall wariness is notable, though. It might just be an issue of timing; Nintendo will have launched Tears of the Kingdom already by June, leaving just Pikmin 4 left on the docket. Sony hasn't been part of E3 for years now. But that does raise the question: who will be at E3 2023?

Hopefully we find out soon, as June isn?'t getting any farther away.

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You be there

Ubisoft is making?? plans to be at this year's E3. Following comments from the publisher during an investor's call, Ubisoft has confirmed it ??will be in attendance at E3 2023.

During an investor's call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot responded to an inquiry on whether the company would be in attendance at this year's event. "If E3 happens, we will be there and we will have a lot of things to show," said Guillemot at the time.

In a follow-up to GamesIndustry.biz, Ubisoft clarifies the wording:

"E3 is a special moment for our industry and we are excited to sho??wcase our strong line-up in Los Angeles in June. We are still finalizing the details of our plans and look forward to sharing more soon."

It's a good clarification, at least, for those who may have thought E3 was changing things up once again following Guillemot's comment. ReedPop did reaffirm that E3 is "full speed ahead" after Guillemot's initial comment, but with this clarification, that's at least one company that looks set to show something in Los Angeles. [Disclosure: I was previously employed at USgamer, a former ReedPop website.]

The summer of games awaits

Questions of who's attending E3 2023 are still up in the air. An IGN report confirmed Sony, Nintendo, and Xbox wouldn't be on the show floor, though Microsoft is planning to host a summer showcase in Los Angeles.

The current plan has E3 2023 running from June 13 through 16 in Los Angeles, with both industry and consumer days planned.

Meanwhile, Ubisoft says it is bringing a "strong line-up" to bear for its Los Angeles showing. The publisher has been on a bit of a roller-coaster, announcing a bevy of Assassin's Creed projects while also cancelling a number of unannounced projects and delaying Skull and Bones. It'll be interesting to see what ??it shows up with in June.

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The big show's return may not have the big three

E3 is set to return to an in-person show ??this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center. But according to a new report, some major players may not be in attendance for E3 2023.

IGN reports that Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox will not have a presence on the E3 20?23 show floor, nor will they be a part of E3 2023. This info comes from multiple knowledgeable sources the outlet has spoken with about the show.

While Sony has been skipping E3 for a while now and Xbox has recently held events offsite and adjacent to E3, this marks three big potential n??o-shows for the event this year.

Xbox is still planning to host a summer showcase in Los Angeles. Recently, Xbox head Phil Spencer had confirmed to IGN that its event would be placed "at a time where hopefully it's convenient for press and even consumers that are going to the E3 event?."

"We will continue to work with ESA in terms of their plans," said Spencer. "As I said, we're on the board, and we w??ant to make sure that we are ??doing everything we can to help make the E3 successful."

The new E3

E3 is due to return in 2023 with the help of ReedPop, the organizer of PAX and other organized conventions. (Disclosure: I was formerly employed by ReedPop at USgamer.) The event will host both digital and in-person components, and will be open to consumers.

ReedPop responded to a request for comm??ent from ?IGN, stating the following:

"E3 is such a significa??nt event for the game industry and being entrusted with an important cultural touchstone is not a responsibility ReedPop takes lightly. Since ReedPop took on t?he contract to run E3 six months ago, we've worked diligently with ESA members based on their feedback to create a new type of E3 that supports their goals and needs.

This process has taken time due to the tremendous amount of stakeholders offering input, though we appreciate that we could have been more transparent to questions for which we were still finalizing the answers. We continue to work tirelessly to create a show that brin?gs together the global gaming industry. We believe w?e’ve created a new format for the event that serves the needs of both the industry and its fans, and are committed to building and growing it in the coming years.

As we spent much of 2022 refining how E3 2023 would take shape, reflecting on the feedback we solicited, we did not send a single contract to an exhibitor?? until the start of this month. We have received a tremendous amount of interest and verbal commitments from many of the biggest companies in the industry, and when we are ready to announce the exhibitors we are confident it will be a lineup that will make the? trip to Los Angeles well worth it for the industry and consumers alike."

Meanwhile, Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest is still planning for a showcase this June.

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The big show's back in town

E3 is set to return ??as an in-person ev?ent in 2023, and today the event locked in some dates and details. E3 2023 will be a four-day expo, running June 13 through 16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

??Preceding the show will be p?artnered digital events and showcases. Those will start on June 11.

E3 itself will have set days for business and consumer attendance. The E3 Business Days take place June ??13 through 15, set aside for registered industry people. June 15 and 16, meanwhile, will be E3 Gamer Days.

Alongside the split in days, E3 2023 will also have separat?e areas set up. The industry side will have dedicated halls for networking and meetings, as well as hands-on for media with developers and publishers.

The consumer-focused area will be in a different hall. This will have hands-on for attendees, as well as ways to connect with developers, content creators, and personalities. There will also be a dedicated theater for content, offering deep dives on upcoming ga??mes.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=73kSvsQ_kkA

It's showtime

The ESA is partnering with Re??edPop, the organizer of events like PAX, EGX, and New York Comic-Con. (Disclosure: I was once employed by ReedPop in my previ?ous role at USgamer.)

In a blog over at GamesIndustry.biz, the business site goes over some extra details on what ReedPop and E3 are planning for the show. The show plans to support companies and games who aren't joining officially to still participate. For example, if a company is showcasing at Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest, E3 will still be open to it.

This is E3's first return to in-person, after canceling its 2020 and 2022 plans and hosting an online-only event in 2021. It has been three years ?since the last big E3, and the show looks to bounce back in 2023.

Whether this will hold up depends, as the industry has now adapted to three years of online showcases and s??cattered, smaller in-p??erson events.

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Two massive event hosts join forces for E3's comeback show

The Entertainment Software Association is set to host E3 again, and it's partnering with ReedPop to make it happen. Today, the two announced t??hat E3 2023 will be organized with ReedPop's help.

ReedPop is the company behind PAX, New York Comic-Con, EGX, and the Star Wars Celebration. It's also the parent company of several gaming sites. including GamesIndustry.biz and Eurogamer. (Discl??osure: I was previously employed by Ree?dPop at USgamer.)

The duo plans to host E3 2023 in the Los Angeles Convention Cent??er again, during the second week of June 2023.

//twitter.com/E3/status/1545046476597956608

The event will host digital showcases and in-person components too, ?which will be open to consumers. Further details, like confirmed exh??ibitors, will be shared in the coming months.

"It is a tremendous honor and privilege for ReedPop to take on?? the re??sponsibility of bringing E3 back in 2023," said ReedPop president Lance Festerman. "With the support and endorsement of the ESA, we're going to build a world-class event to serve the global gaming industry in new and broader ways than we already do at ReedPop through our portfolio of world leading events and websites."

A new union

This partnership is wild, but also makes sense. E3 has fully called off two shows since the outbreak of COVID-19, in 2020 and 2022. And in 2021, the ESA hosted a digital-only event. PAX dealt with some called-off shows too, but has been returning to t??he convention space with e??vents like PAX East 2022 and the upcoming PAX West.

Meanwhile, Geoff Keighley has been growing Summer Game Fest more each year. This year included both a stage show and an in-person event in Los Angeles. And, as the event republicized today, Summer Game Fest will be returning in June 2023 with both digital and in-person events. Looks like E3 will have some competition for its big r??etur??n.

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