Following several announcements of major video game publishers and developers withdrawing from this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced that this year’s E3 will be cancelled.
two fonts they confirmed that the ESA sent an email announcing the cancellation of what was once a massive event, citing a “lack of necessary sustained interest” to make this year’s E3 possible.
The ESA has issued an official statement from Kyle Marsden-Kish, Global Vice President of Gaming at ReedPop:
It was a difficult decision due to all the effort we and our partners put in to make this event possible, but we had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3.
We understand that interested companies didn’t have playable demos ready and that resource issues made attending E3 this summer a hurdle they couldn’t overcome. For those committed to E3 2023, we’re sorry we can’t deliver the show you deserve and expect from ReedPop events.
although for now no news on whether or not we’ll see an E3 next year, the press release states that ReedPop and the ESA will continue to work together on future E3 events. The official E3 website also shows the following statement:
Trade show organizer ReedPop announces that E3 2023 will not go ahead as planned this June, canceling physical and digital events. Together with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), both parties will reevaluate the future of E3.
This year’s E3 would have been the first in-person event since 2019, a year before shutdowns became mandatory due to the global pandemic. The rise of online presentations, such as Nintendo’s Directs and Sony’s State of Plays, has reduced the need for companies to hold annual events at their own facilities.