The first physical E3 in four years may be without some of the industry’s heaviest hitters, with reports indicating that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo will not be present in Los Angeles.
Sources close to IGN have revealed that Microsoft’s presentation will be limited to a simultaneous showcase — one that Xbox CEO Phil Spencer ambiguously stated would take place “at a time where hopefully it’s convenient for press and even consumers that are going to the E3 event,” — foregoing a booth on the show floor itself.
IGN’s sources further intimated that neither Nintendo nor Sony would be present. You may recall that Sony had previously been absent from E3 2019 (the first time since the expo’s launch 1995), their continued success having rendered their attendance somewhat dubious in the first place.
Meanwhile, although Nintendo had continued to feature a physical booth at the convention, the efficiency of the “Direct” presentation format had similarly proven to pay dividends. Whether either company intends to coincide E3 with a digital showcase is not yet known at this time.
E3 2023 will be the first to be managed by Reedpop, a heavy hitter on the convention scene with an impressive portfolio that includes PAX, EGX, and New York Comic-Con. Reedpop provided a statement to IGN which said, in part; “Since ReedPop took on the contract to run E3 six months ago, we’ve worked diligently with ESA members based on their feedback to create a new type of E3 that supports their goals and needs.
“This process has taken time due to the tremendous amount of stakeholders offering input, though we appreciate that we could have been more transparent to questions for which we were still finalizing the answers. We continue to work tirelessly to create a show that brings together the global gaming industry. We believe we’ve created a new format for the event that serves the needs of both the industry and its fans, and are committed to building and growing it in the coming years.”
This doesn’t make the attendance status of the above companies any clearer, though if the reports are to be believed, ReedPop will no doubt be hard at work attempting to fill the sizeable gap their absence would create.
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