It’s looking less and less likely the E3 we’ve known for years will ever make a return. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, E3 has struggled to get back off the ground as major developers and publishers have all adjusted and created their own virtual press conferences and events. Originally scheduled to happen June 11 to June 16, 2023 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Reedpop’s global VP of gaming, Kyle Marsden-Kish, confirmed the cancellation after IGN.com’s report earlier today.
“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. 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.”
The last physical show E3 had was in 2019. We all know what happened in 2020 and 2021 was an online-only event. Last year, there was nothing from E3 and that’s going to repeat itself in 2023. If this is the fate for E3, it’s a sad one. Although the event itself had its fair share of controversy and issues over the years, it was still a week that many gamers had circled on their calendars. All the major press conferences, debuts, and announcements made it a very exciting time for the gaming industry. Sure, we’ll still have plenty of digital press conferences and events, but it’ll feel fragmented instead of one big celebration.
Over the years, we’ve attended numerous E3 events since it’s local to us. One of our more memorable E3 shows was from 2014, and you can see an extensive gallery here. Might as well relive the past, because there probably isn’t going to be a future for E3.
