After weeks of speculation, organizers have officially canceled Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2023. E3 was scheduled to kick off on June 13, with a return to an in-person event for the first time since 2020.
Once considered a milestone in the gaming industry's annual calendar, E3 struggled to regain its footing after a series of Covid-related disruptions. First canceled due to the pandemic in 2020, E3 returned as a virtual event in 2021, before being forced to cancel again the following year.
The news of the event's cancellation for 2023 comes as no surprise after a series of big-name withdrawals from the event, with Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and Sega announcing that they will no longer be attending. In almost all cases, little reason was given as to why each company backed out, with only vague promises of future updates through alternative channels.
Gamers will still have a lot to look forward to in June, even despite the absence of E3, with a series of showcase events planned instead.
The first of them, Summer Game Party 2023, will debut on June 8. The brainchild of gaming journalist Geoff Keighley, Summer Game Fest originally began in response to the 2020 cancellations of E3 and Gamescom events. Taking place practically over four months, from May to August in its first year, announcements like the remaster of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and the highly anticipated Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time were among those that surfaced.
Three years later, Summer Game Fest is set to return as a one-day event, hosted virtually and in person for select industry professionals. Names like Capcom, Devolver Digital, Epic Games, Nintendo, Xbox and Sony have participated in previous years, and organizers are already suggesting that this year's event will be the biggest yet.
Production is ramping up for our biggest @SummerGameFest ever - the video game industry comes together in June, kicking off live from @youtubetheater on Thursday, June 8. Stay tuned for more details! pic.twitter.com/2qlZJKdCzlMarch 28, 2023
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A Xbox Games Showcase from Microsoft is expected to follow on June 11, and is expected to include our best look at the upcoming Starfield from acclaimed developers Bethesda. A day later, on June 12, publisher Ubisoft is expected to launch its Ubisoft forward live showcase. While there's no indication yet of what we can expect from the event, potential contenders include the latest entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise, Assassin's Creed Mirage, and the frequently delayed Pirate-sim Skull & Bones.
What future for E3?
With a third cancellation in four years, it's highly unlikely that we'll ever see E3 return to its former glory, or at all. This is especially true as publishers and developers continue to look for ways to cut costs, with virtual stores being a more cost-effective alternative to staging in-person, ticketed events.
Nintendo has Nintendo Direct, PlayStation has State of Play, and Xbox has its own game showcase, while major publishers like Ubisoft and Devolver Digital also host virtual events to showcase upcoming releases.
Other in-person events like the Tokyo Games Show and Gamescom also remain on the industry calendar, while major comic book conventions like San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) and New York Comic Con (NYCC) will also attract guest appearances from developers. and publishers.
All of this leaves little reason to demand a return of E3 in the next few years, so it's likely that we've seen the last of what was once the biggest event on the industry calendar. For those like me who considered attending E3 at least once in their life as a to-do list item, the likely demise of the event is disappointing.
But while the calendar is still full of things to look forward to, the reality is that gamers won't have much to worry about without E3.