What happened: The Electronic Software Association (ESA) expected 2023 to mark the return of its (previously) annual E3 event for the first time since 2019. On Thursday, the ESA and ReedPop announced that E3 2023 will be canceled after major game publishers including Nintendo, Microsoft, and Ubisoft decided that they would not attend. In later years, the show had climbed back from its reduced scope in 2007 and 2008, when general audiences were excluded, to focus on media and industry attendees. Attendance peaked in 2018 with 69,200 people at the event.
Why it matters: This would have been ReedPop’s first time organizing the event. Reed is known for other fan-focused conventions such as PAX and New York Comic Con.
Where to see the impact: E3’s cancellation will be bad news for the large-scale events industry in general if, as IGN reported, budget concerns and lack of interest in spending on big show-floor marketing turn out to be the reasons the show was canceled.
