While it was one of the few big publishers to have announced its participation in E3 2023, Ubisoft has just backtracked. A new blow for the show, undermined by its cost, competition and Covid-19.
The French publisher will not skip the month of June, however, with a Ubisoft Forward conference planned for Los Angeles.
Ubisoft will also stand apart
Things are starting to get seriously complicated for E3, which is seeing its main exhibitors jump ship. Nintendo has announced that its plans don’t include E3, Sony won’t go either, and Microsoft will be hosting its own event. We now know that we should not count on Ubisoft either, which has just canceled its participation:
“E3 has provided unforgettable moments across the industry over the years. While we originally intended to have an official presence at E3, we’ve made the decision to go in another direction, and we’ll be hosting a Ubisoft Forward event on June 12 in Los Angeles. […] »
The appointment is therefore made, knowing that Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase conference will take place the day before, June 11. The manufacturer will present its new products there, but do not expect to see Starfield during the conference. Bethesda’s game will indeed be entitled to its dedicated presentation, which will take place right after.
E3 2023: the swan song?
In 2017, the great annual video game mass that is E3 took a big turn. Until then reserved for the press and professionals, the show is completely open to the public. However, the decline was already underway, and as early as 2019, Sony decided to go it alone. Exhibiting at the show had become too expensive, and the means of conducting online conferences have become more democratic.
Many publishers have therefore organized their events outside the Convention Center, while remaining closely linked to the first half of June. The pandemic then passed through, Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest grew alongside other events, and E3 was canceled multiple times or hosted remotely. E3 therefore did not take place in 2022, and we were promised a comeback this year under the aegis of Reedpop (PAX, NYCC).
This involves physically reopening the doors of the Convention Center and welcoming both professionals and the public with dedicated days. June 13, 14 and 15 will therefore be reserved for industry players, while June 15 and 16 will be open to the public. Anyway, the ESA and Reedpop are not yet discussing the possibility of canceling E3, but in terms of dynamics, it could well be the last.
Source : Kotaku
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