The Electronic Software Association (ESA) and ReedPop have announced the cancellation of E3 2023. The gaming event was meant to take place between the 13th and 16th of June at the Los Angeles Convention Center; however, following announcements from game publishers that they would not attend as exhibitors, the event has been cancelled. This was the first E3 event organised by ReedPop, the company behind PAX and New York Comic Con. E3 2021 was also held entirely online due to the ongoing pandemic, and the 2020 and 2022 events were cancelled. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, among others, chose not to attend the event earlier this year. Ubisoft, Sega and Tencent have also confirmed that they are not attending E3 this year, with Ubisoft instead holding its own Ubisoft Forward event around the same time.
ReedPop’s global VP of gaming, Kyle Marsden-Kish, has stated that the cancellation was “a difficult decision” but that they “had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3”. The ESA has also explained 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 our industry”. Other summer gaming events are still scheduled to take place, including the Summer Game Fest and Ubisoft Forward in June.
In the wake of the E3 2023 cancellation, GamesBeat Summit 2023 is an alternative event for those wanting to connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles. The summit is set to run on May 22-23 and is open for registration. GamesBeat’s philosophy when covering the gaming industry is “where passion meets business”, meaning that they aim to inform decision-makers as well as fans of games. Their articles, podcasts and videos aim to allow enjoyable engagement with the industry.
