IGN reported today that Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo – the biggest platform companies in the video game industry – may not have booths at E3 2023.
We’ve yet to confirm whether that’s true or not, and the entertainment software industry sent an email request for comment to ReedPop, the PAX fan show organizer and new steward of the E3 trade show, which takes place in Los Angeles in mid-June.
If true, it’s a blow to the largest gaming trade show in the US, and that certainly won’t help an industry still reeling from the changes brought about by the pandemic and economic downturn.
In a statement, ReedPop said: “E3 is undergoing a transformation from the 2019 iteration based on feedback from exhibitors and fans. A collaborative process like this, with so many stakeholders, takes time. ReedPop remains committed to delivering the best possible show and is excited to share more information about the show format and the fantastic exhibitors that will be participating in the near future.”
The company isn’t commenting on whether Microsoft and Nintendo, longtime E3 supporters, will have booths at the show, as they pretty much always have. Sony hasn’t been on the show in years, so it might come as no surprise that it’s not coming back.
But Microsoft and Nintendo usually held pre-E3 events that served as a magnet for the audience at E3, which could draw huge crowds of both fans and gaming industry professionals in pre-pandemic days.
In its healthy years, E3 had 69,200 visitors in 2018 and 66,100 in 2019. Both years saw more than 200 exhibitors. But in 2020, the show was canceled due to the pandemic. In 2021, the show was digital-only with only 33 exhibitors, and in 2022, the show was canceled altogether.
During the pandemic, Geoff Keighley, the host of The Game Awards, started a competitive show that attracted tens of millions of viewers and even small groups for in-person events, like one held for the press last year. The competition took its toll on E3, especially in 2021.
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