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The times are truly a’changing – following several announcements from big video game publishers and developers backing out of this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has unfortunately announced that this year’s E3 will be cancelled.
According to a report from the folks over at IGN, two sources confirmed that the ESA sent out an email announcing the cancellation of the once-gigantic event, citing a “lack of sustained interest necessary” to make this year’s E3 a possibility. The ESA has since issued a formal statement from Kyle Marsden-Kish, Global VP of Gaming at ReedPop:
“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.”
While there’s currently no word on whether or not we’ll see an E3 next year, the press release does state that ReedPop and the ESA will continue to work together on future E3 events. The official E3 website also displays the following statement:
“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.”
Originally scheduled to take place in June, this year’s E3 would have been the first in-person event since 2019, a year before lockdowns were mandated due to the global pandemic.
A staple of the gaming industry in North America, E3 was one of the biggest annual video game events, with multiple publishers, developers, and OEMs making an appearance to market and preview upcoming video games and consoles. However, the rise of online presentations such as Nintendo’s Direct showcases and Sony’s State of Play announcements has since reduced companies’ needs to maintain annual in-house events.
Source: IGN
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