The year 2023 was to mark the great return of E3 in physical version after several years of absence. However, many publishers have announced their intention not to be present on site. Will E3 2023 be just an empty shell?
E3 is due to make a comeback this year in a physical edition in Los Angeles. The mythical fair dedicated to video games will be held next June for the first time since 2019. Unfortunately for the organizers, there is not likely to be many people.
Many big publishers are expected to be absent this year. While some have confirmed their non-appearance, others are still at the center of rumours. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft… they will snub the Californian living room. This does not mean that the month of June will not be loaded with announcements.
E3 wanted to make the 2023 edition its rebirth
Some publishers prefer to organize their conference on their own. Microsoft, for example, will hold an Xbox Showcase on June 11, i.e. one day before the start of the show. For its part, Ubisoft should make its announcements via its Ubisoft Forward during the summer. As for Nintendo, we know that the company prefers to organize online conferences and announce them at the last moment.
Here is the complete list of publishers who will not be present:
- Developer
- Microsoft
- nintendo
- Sega
- sony
- Tencent
- Ubisoft
For the moment, the show is still maintained for the month of June, but if there is E3, we can expect a small show. Maybe a chance for independent studios to catch some light?
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2023 was to mark the rebirth of the show. The last “real” edition dates back to 2019. In 2020, it was one of the first big events canceled due to the COVID epidemic and then returned in 2021 in an entirely digital form. In 2022, it simply hadn’t happened.
A difficult return, therefore, very difficult, in a market that has changed enormously in recent years. Geoff Keighley’s more modern and condensed Summer Game Fest took all the media coverage. Moreover, the big publishers now prefer to organize their event separately, in order to have greater control over their communication.