Following the initial report from IGN, the Electronic Software Association has confirmed that this year’s E3 has officially been cancelled. The cancellation follows the news of a series of major publishers backing out of the event in recent weeks, including Ubisoft and Sega. This was after Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo each confirmed they would not have a presence at the event this year, either.
A report by IGN on Thursday initially announced the cancellation following the confirmation of an email that was sent out to ESA partners stating that E3 2023 “simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry.”
Following the announcement, show organizers ReedPop and the ESA took to social media to publicly confirm the news of the show’s cancellation. “ReedPop and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have announced that both the digital and physical events for E3 2023 are cancelled,” reads the image of the latest tweet from E3.
The ESA had announced the return of E3 2023 as an in-person event in July 2022 and had confirmed the dates the following September. There are several similar online showcases taking place in early June that coincide with what would have been E3 week, including Summer Game Fest, hosted by Geoff Keighley. Both Microsoft and Ubisoft will host their own digital showcases around the same time as well, so there are still game announcements to look forward to as June approaches.