It’s official: only one year after the announcement of the return of the event, the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) has finally decided tocancel E3 2023.
Two sources have confirmed the cancellation of the event, following receipt of an email sent by the association. The email in question explains that even if E3 “remains an event and a brand appreciated by all”, the 2023 edition “has not generated enough interest to ensure the smooth running of a conference capable of demonstrating the size, strength and impact of our business area”.
The ESA would not have specified whether the event will return in the years to come. The association also shared a press release signed Kyle Marsden-Kish, vice-president of the gaming department of ReedPop, the organizing company of the event:
Our decision turned out to be difficult, taking into account the efforts made by us and our partners to make the event run smoothly, but we had to make a necessary choice for the industry and for E3. We understand that some companies would not have been able to make playable demos available to the public and that resource issues would have turned E3 into an insurmountable obstacle. For the companies that had confirmed their attendance, we are sorry that we cannot offer you the visibility that you deserve and that you expect to receive by participating in the events organized by ReedPop.
The press release also underlines that ReedPop and the ESA will continue to work on the organization of “future E3 events”.
News on #E32023 from the source. pic.twitter.com/BK7TUlb8mZ
— E3 (@E3) March 30, 2023
The event was supposed to take place from June 13 to 16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and would have been the first face-to-face E3 since 2019. E3 was also canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and a digital version had taken place in 2021. In 2022, E3 was canceled again with the aim of having a “reinvigorated event” in 2023.
Despite the announcement of the event last June, the absences of the leaders of the gaming industry were announced in turn. Xbox, Nintendo and Playstation were the first to drop out of E3, then it was Ubisoft’s turn to drop the convention, and earlier in the week we revealed that Sega and Devolver Digital weren’t interested in attending. neither does the event.
IGN has recontacted the ESA and ReedPop to try to obtain additional information.
Tarek Diouri–Adequin is a work-study editor for IGN France. A big fan of manga and anime, the journalist has an artistic soul. He does not know everything, but knows what he knows. JRPGs are his thing too. You can occasionally find him on his Twitter.