After confirmation from major publishers like Microsoft, Nintendo, and Ubisoft that they won’t be participating at E3 2023, its organiser, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), has now announced the cancellation of the entire event.
IGN reports that ESA has notified members via an email sent out today. The email states that while E3 “remains a beloved event and brand,” the 2023 version “simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry.”
Following the report, ESA issued an official statement on Twitter announcing the cancellation of both the digital and physical events of E3 2023. A public statement from Klye Marsden-Kish, ReedPop’s Global VP of Gaming, concerning the cancellation was also issued. It states:
“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, Reedpop’s Global VP of Gaming.
“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.”
E3 2023 was scheduled to take place at the Los Angeles Convention Centre from June 13th – 16th. It was supposed to be the annual gaming expo’s first in-person event since 2019. In 2020, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic but returned as a digital-only event in 2021 and was cancelled again in 2022 in a bid to focus all resources on organising a “revitalised” physical and digital event in 2023.
On the future of E3, ESA president Stanley Pierre-Louis told GamesIndustry.biz, “We’re committed to providing an industry platform for marketing and convening but we want to make sure we find that right balance that meets the needs of the industry. We’re certainly going to be listening and ensuring whatever we want to offer meets those needs and at that time, we will have more news to share.”
In place of E3, Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest takes place on June 8th, with some exciting gaming reveals expected. Sony has remained quiet so far, but it might also have a digital PlayStation showcase lined up for that period.
