E3 2023 is officially canceled, according to a report from IGN and subsequently confirmed by the ESA. News that the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) and event organizer ReedPop would no longer hold gaming’s long-running industry meetup came from two relevant sources, who verified that the ESA had sent out emails to its members explaining why E3 2023 has been canceled.
Why E3 2023 Was Canceled by the ESA (and May Stay Canceled)
The email reportedly states that E3 “remains a beloved event and brand” but claims that this year’s show “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.” The email concludes with the ESA’s commitment to advocacy work.
The E3 Registration Team has since emailed would-be E3 attendees to say, “We are writing to let you know that E3 2023 will not be taking place as scheduled.”
In an update, the ESA provided a statement from ReedPop Global VP of Gaming Kyle Marsden-Kish about the cancellation to IGN:
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 ESA and ReedPop claim that they will work together on “future E3 events.”
E3 2023 was previously set to feature a return to form for the show with an event that would take place this June. However, it’s sad but not a shock to see E3 2023 dead before spring is even over. Following news that Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox would be absent from this year’s show, major publisher Ubisoft also announced that it would no longer be in attendance after previously committing a few weeks earlier. With these glaring omissions – and surely many more – it seems ReedPop didn’t feel E3 had the support it needed to continue.
After COVID-19 lockdowns hit the gaming convention in 2020, an all-digital E3 2021 event was held the following year. E3 2022, however, never saw the light of day. Needless to say, the last few years have been rough for E3, and today’s news isn’t helping its situation.
E3 could always return in the future, but for now, it’s difficult to say.
In the meantime, Geoff Keighley, host of Summer Game Fest, basically tweeted his victory lap.
Here's 15-year old me at the first-ever E3 in 1995.
E3 meant so much to me and to so many of you too.
Four years ago, I realized that E3 wasn't evolving as it needed to compete in a global, digital world. So we started building what’s next. See at @summergamefest June 8. pic.twitter.com/wSZqpz3wjY
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) March 30, 2023
