After falling apart in 2020 due to COVID-19, having a bizarre digital presence in 2021, and being canceled in 2022, E3 2023 was supposed to be the big return to form for the massive video game-focused event complete with separate days for both the press and public. But that’s no longer the case, as the event has been canceled.
IGN first reported that the organization sent out emails earlier today saying that the event “simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of [the] industry” and was therefore not moving forward this year in a physical or digital capacity. The official E3 Twitter account then confirmed the news shortly after.
Global VP of Gaming ReedPop Kyle Marsden-Kish released a statement on the cancelation.
“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.”
The writing for E3 2023’s cancelation seemed to be on the wall. Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo were reported to be skipping E3, although the three have had a tenuous relationship with the show over recent years and done their own events. And after previously committing to being at E3 2023 if it were to happen, Ubisoft recently pulled out, as well. IGN also reported that Sega and Tencent weren’t going to show up, either. That report had sources that called doubt upon the show actually materializing and also explained that other publishers were planning to pull out, but hadn’t made official announcements.
Xbox, Devolver Digital, and Ubisoft have announced summer showcases, and it’s likely that Sony and Nintendo (and possibly others) will follow suit. Summer Game Fest is still going this year and will kick off on June 8, too. Producer Geoff Keighley even tweeted about the report, noting that E3 had meant a lot to him, but he saw that the show wasn’t adapting in the right ways, which is why he spearheaded Summer Game Fest in 2020.
