E3 2023 cancelled
eurogamer.netE3 2023 has been called off, following days of confusion over which publishers were still due to attend.
Word of the cancellation comes via an email sent out by the ESA, E3's owner, as reported by IGN.
The show had been due to return as an in-person event in June, in its old home at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
This year's E3 had been hailed as the event's grand return as a physical show — a chance for it to reclaim its crown as the centrepiece of the video game announcement calendar, following several years of disruption due to the Covid pandemic.
It was also set to be the first for PAX and EGX organiser Reedpop — which also owns Eurogamer — as organiser.
In January this year, it was reported that Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony would not attend this year's event for various reasons. Sony, which quit the E3 showfloor after its last showing 2018, had not been coaxed back. E3 stalwart Nintendo, meanwhile, had little to show — since its biggest game of the year Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches in May. Microsoft, meanwhile, was reported to be cutting costs.
Without the console manufacturer Big Three on board, subsequent reports have focused on the status of smaller publishers. Ubisoft flip-flopped on its attendance, initially confirming it was on board before U-turning, amidst reports of a delay for key 2023 game Assassin's Creed Mirage. In the wake of that news, Sega and Tencent also confirmed they had backed out.
The ESA's email reportedly said that E3 remained «a beloved event and brand» but that this year the 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.»
Eurogamer has contacted Reedpop for comment.
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