IGN reports that Xbox, Sony and Nintendo will not be present at this year’s E3 in Los Angeles. The absence of all three console platform holders would be a huge setback for E3 owner Entertainment Software Association, which is seeking a fresh start for the show as it returns to physical events for the premiere. times since 2019 under new organizers ReedPop.
Microsoft has already committed to air an Xbox showcase scheduled to coincide with the E3 dates in June, but IGN’s report suggests it won’t have a booth at the show – which will be open to the public for part of the duration of the show. spectacle.
It’s unclear if Sony and Nintendo will be hosting showcases alongside E3, but again it’s said that neither will be at the show itself.
IGN sources reported “ongoing frustrations” with ESA’s handling of E3. The digital version of the show held in 2021 was poorly designed, and even before the coronavirus pandemic hit and forced the cancellation of physical events, ESA was losing key exhibitors and suffering from damaging scandals like the leak in 2019 personal details of the participants.
Meanwhile, ReedPop — which runs 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 redesigned E3 remaining unclear. “There’s no good idea there’s an understanding of what this show is going to be or how it’s going to pan out, which is odd from a company that does such amazing work with PAX. twice a year,” the source told IGN.
ReedPop and the ESA have a lot 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 series of broadcast showcases.
However, the thing is, each of the “big three” console companies have their own reasons for missing E3 this year. None necessarily have much to do with the way the event is organized – and, when you look at the context, none come as a big surprise.
Sony has long since severed ties with E3, having not exhibited at the show since 2018 after an apparent disagreement with the ESA. Unlike the others, it even moved the dates of its online showcases away from E3 week in June.
Nintendo is usually a mainstay of the E3 show, but VGC reports which it decided to skip this year as it will have few major releases ready for release. Its big release 2023, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomcomes out before the show in May, and there’s growing speculation that Switch is nearing the end of its life, and Nintendo is holding back on other big plans for a successor console.
Xbox, on the other hand, has a lot to promote this year, including star field and Forza Motorsport, both of which now appear destined for the second half of the year after initially being expected earlier. But Microsoft is in cost-cutting mode after a major round of layoffs, which affected developers like Halo studio 343 Industries, as well as disappointing financial results for the Xbox division.
VGC reports that Microsoft is still in negotiations with E3 and may have a lesser presence at the show for business and media. It’s also not impossible that he’ll opt for his own exhibition space at the nearby Microsoft Theater, as he did in 2019.
ReedPop released a statement saying, “Since ReedPop accepted the contract to run E3 six months ago, we have worked diligently with ESA members based on their feedback to create a new kind of E3 that meets their goals and needs.
“This process took time due to the sheer number of stakeholders who provided input, although we appreciate that we could have been more transparent about the questions for which we were still finalizing responses. We continue to work tirelessly to create a spectacle that brings the global gaming industry together. We believe we have created a new format for the event that meets the needs of the industry and its fans, and we are committed to building it and develop it in the years to come.
With new organizers, new competition, and an unstable industry emerging from a global pandemic and facing tough economic conditions, it was never likely that this year’s E3 would go smoothly. All eyes will be on the LA Convention Center from June 13-16 to see how the reborn show finds its feet.
