After weeks of speculation, the organizers of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) have officially announced that the event, scheduled to begin on June 13, 2023, has been canceled. This marks the third cancelation in four years for E3, a once-landmark event in the gaming industry’s yearly calendar.
E3 had been expected to return to an in-person event this year for the first time since 2020, but the ongoing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic made such a return unfeasible. Moreover, a spate of big-name withdrawals from the event, with Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and Sega all announcing they would no longer participate, left the event with little to no star power.
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Gamers, however, still have plenty to look forward to in June even despite E3’s absence, as a number of showcase events are scheduled to take place in its stead. The largest of these, Summer Game Fest 2023, is set to kick off on June 8. This event, which initially began as a response to 2020’s cancelation of both the E3 and Gamescom events, has grown in size and prestige over the years. Running virtually over four months from May to August in its debut year, Summer Game Fest saw announcements including the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 2 remaster and the highly anticipated Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.
Three years on, Summer Game Fest is scheduled to return as a single-day event, held both virtually and in-person for select industry professionals. Previous years have seen names such as Capcom, Devolver Digital, Epic Games, Nintendo, Xbox, and Sony all take part, and organizers have suggested that this year’s event will be even bigger. Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase is slated to follow on June 11, with hopes it will include our best look yet at the upcoming Starfield from acclaimed developers Bethesda. A day later, on June 12, publisher Ubisoft is scheduled to kick off its Ubisoft Forward Live showcase.
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Despite E3’s cancelation, other in-person events such as the Tokyo Games Show and Gamescom remain on the industry calendar. Additionally, major comic conventions including San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con will also typically attract appearances from developers and publishers. When combined with virtual events such as Nintendo Direct, PlayStation’s State of Play, and Xbox’s showcase, the absence of E3 is unlikely to have a significant impact on the industry.
E3’s inability to remain relevant and regain its former status as the industry’s biggest event highlights a larger trend within the gaming industry towards more cost-effective alternatives to traditional in-person events. Virtual showcases have become increasingly popular in recent years, with publishers and developers hosting their own events to showcase upcoming releases. The rise in popularity of these virtual events, combined with the rising costs of hosting in-person ticketed events, means that E3’s future is uncertain at best.
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In conclusion, the cancelation of E3 for the third time in four years marks another downturn for an event that was once the biggest on the gaming industry’s calendar. The event’s probable demise is disappointing for those who considered attending E3 at least once in their lives a bucket list item. Still, the reality is that gamers won’t have many reasons to worry at all about E3’s absence as long as the calendar stays full of other events to look forward to.
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