Following several announcements from major game publishers and developers pulling out of this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced that this year’s E3 will be cancelled.
Two sources have confirmed that the ESA sent an email announcing the cancellation of what was once a mammoth event, citing a “lack of sustained interest required” to make this year’s E3 possible.
The ESA has issued an official statement from Kyle Marsden-Kish, ReedPop’s Global Vice President of Gaming:
It’s been a tough decision because of all the effort we and our partners have put into making this event possible, but we’ve 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 being at E3 this summer a hurdle they couldn’t overcome. For those who committed to E3 2023, we’re sorry we can’t deliver the show you deserve and expect from ReedPop events.
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 shows the following statement:
The organizer of the fair, ReedPop, announces that E3 2023 will not be held as planned this June, canceling both physical and digital events. Together with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), both parties will reassess the future of E3.
This year’s E3 would have been the first in-person event since 2019, a year before shutdowns were made 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.
