E3 has been an important part of the games industry for decades, but it’s currently undergoing a massive transformation. After a tumultuous couple of years with major publishers retreating and the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting plans, ESA canceled E3 in 2022. Months later, ESA confirmed that E3 would return next year. 2023 with some major changes, including a new organizer.
Here’s everything we know about E3 2023, starting with a recap of the events that brought us here.
E3 returns in 2023
After a three-year hiatus from in-person events, Electronic Entertainment Expo will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3 2023 from June 13-16 and will feature separate areas and dates for events. industry and consumers.
The E3 business day, as it is known, is scheduled for June 13-15 and will be limited to registered members of the industry for networking, meetings, etc. allowed to shake hands with upcoming games in industry-specific spaces, including half of the LACC.
E3 Gamer Days–part of the event open to the public–will take place on June 15 and 16 in the other half of the LACC, separate from the industrial area. This will allow players to practice with similar games coming soon, as well as connect with developers, content creators, etc. The area will also be open to industry members in these upcoming games. their designated date.
In addition to the events on the show floor, there will be “collaborated digital events and showcases” before E3 2023 officially begins. These will start on June 11, and when reading between the lines, it looks like this is a reference to indie rollouts from Microsoft, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Sony, etc. Historically, those companies and others held their own events before E3 officially started.
A new organizer
Since its inception, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has run E3, but ReedPop—the company that organizes PAX, NYCC, and the Star Wars Celebration—will take over in 2023. , ESA is still involved as a partner of ReedPop.
“With ESA’s support and endorsement, we will build a world-class event to serve the global gaming industry in new and broader ways than we did at ReedPop. through our world-leading portfolio of events and websites,” said ReedPop.
ESA is a lobbying group that represents the interests of video game companies in Washington, D.C. In 2018, a U.S. politician from Hawaii told GameSpot that people from ESA or people working on their behalf their faces flew to this island nation to try stop trying to regulate loot boxes in video games. The ESA also drew criticism when, in 2019, it inadvertently leaked the personal information of video game journalists and other members of the media.
More to come
With E3 2023 officially being held in June 2023, fans can expect more news to come in the new year. In the coming months, we should learn more about the specific program summary and other key details for both the main event and any other related showcases. After all, the show is less than six months away!
What happened to E3 2022?
At the end of March 2022, ESA officially confirmed the rumors circulating that E3 2022 would be canceled in its entirety. That includes not only the live event – which was previously canceled due to the continued risk of the coronavirus pandemic – but also its digital component that has played a role. is the stop.
However, even before the coronavirus hit, E3 was in a state of flux. Publishers like Activision and EA have pulled back in favor of their own events. Plus, ESA has begun allowing public participation, making it more directly comparable to fan-focused events like PAX. That makes the future of E3 a bit murky in general, as the show appears to be moving from a press-reported business-to-business event into something entirely different. What it will eventually become is the subject of much speculation.
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