Some bad news for gamers gearing up to take part in the E3 2023 video game expo. The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2023, the biggest expo of the video game industry, where various hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the industry present new and upcoming products, has been canceled.
The news first broke on the IGN website, where a statement was issued by ReedPop’s Global VP of Gaming, Kyle Marsden-Kish. ReedPop is the producer of the E3 2023 video game expo.
The statement read, “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 official Twitter about of E3 also tweeted, “ReedPop and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have announced that both the digital and physical events for E3 2023 are cancelled.”
ESA is the organizer and presenter of the E3 video game expo.
Its official website also announced, “Show organizer ReedPop announces E3 2023 will not take place as scheduled this June, with both physical and digital events canceled. Alongside the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), both parties will re-evaluate the future of E3.”
Truly a piece of sad news for gamers. However, IGN reported that ReedPop and the ESA will continue to work together on “future E3 events.”
Major video game publishers drop out
The announcement came after various major video game publishers reportedly confirmed they would not be participating in E3 2023. These included Xbox, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Sega, and Tencent.
Some netizens took the announcement lightly, while others had strong opinions about it.
On Twitter, netizen @vicious696 wrote, “this is like inviting your ex to your wedding”
“The sad part is that it wasn’t COVID that killed it, but the show’s growing irrelevance. It’s also not a sudden strike but something that was very noticeable in the last decade. And honestly, it makes me super sad. I liked E3 a lot and hope that it can get back on its feet again,” Twitterati @T0_8I meanwhile said.
Reason for the cancellation
ReedPop, known for running video game conventions like PAX across the globe, had taken the challenge of bringing back the E3 2023 video game expo after it was also canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned as a digital event in 2021, but no event ran last 2022.
ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis sat down in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, saying that the company’s vision was to try and gear E3 2023 more toward consumers. This event has traditionally been a trade and media-only show but opened its doors to the public in 2017.
On the reason for the cancellation, Pierre-Louis stated, “First, several companies have reported that the timeline for game development has been altered since the start of the COVID pandemic. Second, economic headwinds have caused several companies to reassess how they invest in large marketing events. And third, companies are starting to experiment with how to find the right balance between in-person events and digital marketing opportunities.”
