E3 2023 without Xbox, Sony and Nintendo
Three of the most important players in the gaming business will not be attending E3, a report from IGN suggests.
The publication has learned from multiple sources at Xbox, Sony and Nintendo that neither will be part of the E3 2023 show. In fact, none of these companies are expected to be present at the show floor at Los Angeles Convention Center.
E3, which was for many years the largest video game trade event, has been cancelled for the first time in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event next year was held online and the 2022 show was cancelled with no plans for a virtual event.
IGN has heard from multiple knowledgeable sources that Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo won’t be part of E3 2023 or have a presence on the Los Angeles Convention Center showfloor.
— IGN, Kat Bailey
The organization behind the show, ESA, announced they are planning to return in 2023 and bring the “community, media, industry back together in an all-new format”. The cancellation of E3 2022 was quickly overshadowed by the announcement of Summer Game Fest in June last year, hosted by Geoff Keighley.
According to the report, ReedPop, who are responsible for the planning of E3, were not straightforward enough with publishers and companies who would be invited. There has been a lot of information missing and the final format of the show was not explained in enough detail. The organization has only started handling contracts for E3 presence this month.
ReedPop released the following statement to IGN:
E3 is such a significant event for the game industry and being entrusted with an important cultural touchstone is not a responsibility ReedPop takes lightly. Since ReedPop took on the 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 brings together the global gaming industry. We believe we’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.
The E3 trade show has always been a great place for thousands of gaming fans to visit. However, the gaming market has significantly changed in the past three years, with all three companies that are reportedly not coming to E3 establishing their own online presence and shows. The E3 attendance is not something that they actually need.
The E3 2023 officially kicks off on June 13th, so there is still time that this situation might change.
Source: IGN
