Today, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) notified its members that the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which had been announced to return last year, has been canceled, GNN can confirm.
This follows the recent withdrawal of major publishers like Ubisoft, Sega, and Tencent joining console manufacturers Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony who had previously confirmed they wouldn’t take part in this year’s E3.
We’ve received an email from the event sent out to all media registering for the event that the show has been canceled. Organizers have also reportedly told its members outlining the decision to cancel the E3 2023 event.
Kyle Marsden-Kish, Global VP of Gaming at ReedPop, issued a public statement on behalf of the ESA.
“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. 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.”
ReedPop and the ESA have promised to continue to work together to produce “future E3 events”, according to the press release.
Originally, the E3 event was planned to take place from June 13th to the 16th at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which would have been the first in-person gathering since 2019. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled in 2020, and even though there was a digital version held in 2021, it was decided to cancel it again in 2022 with the goal of creating a “revitalized showcase” that will become the norm for future hybrid industry events. ReedPop, the company responsible for organizing fan-oriented events like PAX and Star Wars Celebration, had been hired by the ESA to manage E3 2023. The aim is to merge a conference of developers, publishers, media, and buyers with both physical and online displays that target consumers.
In June, game publishers and developers have the option to participate in the Summer Game Fest, which is produced by Geoff Keighley and serves as a rival event. Microsoft and Ubisoft will be holding their own digital events during the same time frame as the Summer Game Fest (June 8-10) and the E3 event (originally scheduled for June 11-16 but now canceled).
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