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E3 2023's Physical, Digital Events Canceled
posted on by Egan Loo
ESA announced on September 26 that it would partner with ReedPop to bring back the in-person E3 event on June 13-16. E3 Business Days would have taken place from June 13-15, and would be reserved for industry personnel. E3 Gamer Days would have been on June 15-16, and they would have taken place in a different hall from the industry area. There would have also been partnered digital events and showcases before and during the show, starting on June 11.
IGN had reported in January that "multiple knowledgeable sources" told the news agency that Microsoft Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo would not participate in E3 2023. Nintendo confirmed to multiple gaming press outlets last month that it would not be attending the E3 2023 event. Nintendo's statement to IGN explained that "this year's E3 show didn't fit into [its] plans," but added it would "continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA and E3."
Microsoft Xbox confirmed to IGN on March 10 that it would not exhibit on the E3 show floor, but would host their Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, and would co-stream that event as part of E3 Digital (before today's cancellation announcement).
Sony declined to appear at E3 in 2019, and had not appeared since.
Game developer and publisher SEGA and Tencent subsidiary company Level Infinite both confirmed to IGN on Tuesday that they would not attend the E3 2023 video game expo event.
E3 last had a physical event in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. It was "exploring options for an online E3 event" after canceling the physical event the summer of 2020, but eventually decided not to present an online version.
Sources: E3's website, IGN (Rebekah Valentine) via Siliconera
