Microsoft will not be in this year’s E3 showroom. In a statement to the international website IGN, the company stated that in support of digital E3, it will co-stream on June 11, but that it will not be present – physically – at the annual fair.
Also during this week, the Redmond giant confirmed that it would make the Xbox Games Showcase on the aforementioned 11th and that it should share more details soon.
“We can’t wait for the Xbox Games Showcase on June 11th and will share more details later. We’re also looking forward to co-broadcasting our event as part of E3 Digital, but we won’t be in the E3 showroom,” an Xbox spokesperson told IGN.
Although discouraging, the spokesperson’s words confirm the words of Phil Spencer, head of the Xbox division, in the past. According to the director, Microsoft would continue to support Entertainment Software Association (“Entertainment Software Association” in free translation), despite previous rumors already indicating that the company might not go to E3.
“Xbox is on the ESA board, and I think a successful and healthy ESA is critical to what we’re trying to do,” Spencer said at the time. “So we put up our showcase, as we always have, at a time that’s convenient for the press and even consumers going to the E3 event, and that’s what we’re trying to do now,” he added.
Scheduled to take place between the 13th and 16th of June in the city of Los Angeles, in the state of California, in the United States, the E3 2023 has not suffered its first embezzlement now.
In February, Nintendo confirmed that it would not be part of the annual E3 edition. And Sony, despite not having issued an official statement, has not attended the fair since 2019.
As stated, Microsoft is planning the Xbox Games Showcase closer to the E3 start date. The company recently announced that Starfield launches September 6 on Xbox Series X|S and PCand which will host a “Starfield Direct” deep dive with more information on June 11.