Xbox, Nintendo, and Sony reportedly skipping E3 2023

IGN reports that Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo will not have a presence at this year’s E3 in Los Angeles. E3’s console platform owners would have a significant impact on Entertainment Software Association (E3), which seeks a new start as the event returns to physical events under ReedPop.

Microsoft has already committed to airing an Xbox showcase timed to coincide with E3’s dates in June, but IGN’s report suggests that it will not have a booth on the show floor — which will be open to the public for part of the show’s run.

It’s not known if Sony and Nintendo will time showcases alongside E3, but again, it is said neither will have a presence at the show itself.

IGN’s sources pointed to “ongoing frustrations” with the ESA’s management of E3. The digital version of the show held in 2021 was misconceived, and even before the coronavirus pandemic hit and forced the cancellation of physical events, the ESA was losing key exhibitors and suffering damaging scandals like the 2019 leak of attendee’s personal details.

Meanwhile, ReedPop — which runs the PAX gaming shows, as well as other pop culture shows like New York Comic Con — is said to be surprisingly disorganized, with details of the redefined E3 remaining unclear. “There’s not a good sense that there’s an understanding what this show is going to be or how it will come together, which is strange from a company that does such an amazing job with PAX twice a year,” the source told IGN.

ReedPop and the ESA have much to prove, as they face direct competition from Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, which will hold its first in-person event this year after a successful run of broadcast showcases.

However, the fact is that each of the “big three” console companies has its own reasons for missing E3 this year. None necessarily has that much to do with the way the event is being run — and, when you look at the background, none comes as a great surprise.

Sony, which has not exhibited at E3 since 2018, has since severed all ties to the event. This was in response to an apparently disagreement with ESA. And unlike other exhibitors, Sony has also moved E3’s online showcases from the June 3rd week to the summer.

VGC reported that Nintendo has decided not to attend the E3 Show Floor this year, as it is expected to have fewer major releases. The big release in 2023 is its. Tears of the Kingdom: Zelda’s LegendIt will appear before May’s show, as well as the book. increasing speculationNintendo holds back on major projects for the next console, as Switch nears its end.

Xbox is, however, a company that has many things to promote in this year’s election. Starfield Forza MotorsportBoth seem to be destined for second-half of this year, despite initially being anticipated earlier. Microsoft, however, is now in cost-cutting mode following a significant round of layoffs. This affected Halo 343 Industries and developers, but also disappointed financial results for its Xbox division.

VGC says that Microsoft remains in discussions with E3 regarding a possible smaller presence at E3’s show for business media. It’s also not impossible that it will opt for its own show floor space at the neighboring Microsoft Theater, as it did in 2019.

ReedPop released a statement, saying, “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. Our efforts to bring the industry together continue. 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.”

With new organizers, new competition, and an unsteady industry emerging from a global pandemic and facing tough economic conditions, it was never likely that this year’s E3 would be plain sailing. The L.A. Convention Center will host the show from June 13-16.