E3 2023: the expo was officially canceled before it even began
The legendary gaming event was supposed to return to the Los Angeles Convention Center in June, 2023, but that's no longer the case
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: E3 2023 canceled
📆 E3 was due to return in 2023 after a three-year hiatus
🌎 The expo would have taken place at the familiar Los Angeles Convention Center
😲 But it quickly collapsed as exhibitors and publishers pulled out
😭 It’s likely E3 is over for good
E3 is officially canceled. The expo was supposed to return to the Los Angeles Convention Center for the first time since 2019 after many speculated that the marquee event was over for good. And now it almost definitely is.
The gaming industry extravaganza was planned to take place over four days — from June 13 to June 16 – but publishers quickly began to pull out of the show leading to its collapse.
"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," said Kyle Marsden-Kish, VP of gaming at events company Reedpop That was co-organizing the expo.
"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."
E3 ran annually from 1995 all the way up to 2020 when it was canceled by the Covid-19 pandemic. It returned the following year as a pared-down online event, and again fully canceled in 2022.
What is E3? 🤔
The best way of looking at E3 was as the “Christmas of gaming announcements.” Historically, E3 was when companies like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo would reserve their biggest gaming announcements, along with other publishers in the industry. It’s often filled with world premiere trailers and exclusive reveals.
However, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have pivoted away from E3 and hosted online streaming events, making the need for the Electronics Entertainment Expo seem redundant.
The event’s organizer, the ESA, has not ruled out bringing back E3 in the future – but it’s hard to see how. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, president Stanley Pierre-Louis said the company needed “to be mindful that we are in the midst of a very different period for industry in terms of game development and economic headwinds, so we want to make sure we are providing a platform in a way that is sustainable for today and in the future.
“We're seeing other shows coming back slowly, but coming back. They're at a different scale and investment commitment than E3 so we have to continue to work on how we create a dynamic and sustainable model that meets the needs of the industry.”
Updated: April 12, 2023