E3 2023 could be cancelled altogether amid reports that even more publishers have pulled out, leaving the future of the iconic video game trade show in limbo… which seems destined to disappear.
A new report from IGN claims that both Sega and Tencent have withdrawn their participation in E3 2023, as rumors swirl about whether the event will ever take place.
This comes a day after Ubisoft said it would skip this year’s E3 and hold its own show instead, just as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have been doing for years.
The source is reliable and the future is uncertain
IGN‘s report cites PR and publishing sources who claim to be uncertain about who will definitely be attending E3 2023. These sources note that the lack of communication from both the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the organizer has only added to their uncertainty about what to expect from the event.
The report goes on to say that there are other publishers who have decided not to attend this year’s conference, but have not yet made it official.
Part of the problem apparently lies in the fact that the huge disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic have changed the way publishers produce, announce and release games, and this has made hands-on demos for the summer trade shows less of a priority.
Bandai Namco, for example, has only committed to the summer Play Days event, and Devolver Digital is still planning its now-classic and curious Devolver Direct.
In addition, many publishers and distributors have yet to fully recover their budgets after the drastic cuts suffered in the wake of the pandemic. And it seems that companies are more comfortable allocating resources to events that are not in constant flux, such as E3 in recent years.
Back in January, we learned that Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox would not be attending E3 2023. At the time, we were confident that the event would go ahead without the big three, but it’s looking less certain by the day.
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