Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo won't participate in E3 2023

[Daniel Sims]

Cutting corners: What was supposed to be the triumphant return of one of the gaming industry's biggest annual events has suffered a major blow. E3 2023 will be the first event in the Los Angeles expo's 18-year history without presentations from any of the major console manufacturers.

IGN sources have confirmed that that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have declined to participate in the 2023 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The big three console manufacturers won't hold press conferences or present on the show floor this year.

Microsoft will hold a presentation around the same time as E3, but the recent news makes it the last console manufacturer to cease direct participation in the expo. Sony and Nintendo had already drifted away from it over the last few years.

Nintendo has released pre-recorded presentations instead of E3 press conferences every year since 2013 but maintained show floor presence. Sony declined to participate in E3 entirely starting in 2019, having followed Nintendo's practice of producing pre-recorded showcases throughout the year. Microsoft released its first pre-recorded announcement reel last week, signaling that all three console manufacturers have found an alternative to physical press conferences.

Losing the big three – previously seen as the centerpieces of the event – won't help E3's struggle to recover from pandemic-related cancelations. 2020 saw the event canceled for the first time, while an online-only event occurred the following year. A hybrid E3 was planned for 2022, but it switched to another online-only affair before completely falling through.

Event organizer ReedPop will manage the planned hybrid E3 2023 alongside the expo's traditional manager, the Entertainment Software Association. Other big game companies haven't yet announced plans to present at E3 or hold individual events this summer.

Nintendo could still release a "Nintendo Direct" presentation in June regardless of alignment with E3. Electronic Arts hasn't yet said whether it will hold an "EA Play" this year alongside E3, a practice it started in 2016 but skipped last year. Ubisoft also hasn't said anything so far, and PC Gamer hasn't confirmed a PC Gaming Show for E3 2023.

Microsoft's exit from the event is a surprise because Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently praised E3 in an interview with IGN. He said he wants to help the expo succeed, suggesting Microsoft's summer event will complement E3, even if the company doesn't have anything on the show floor this year.

As if on cue, the Twitter account for the Summer Game Fest reminded followers of its planned date for the event, which will host presentations from many major game companies -- June 8.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/97451-microsoft-sony-nintendo-wont-participate-e3-2023.html

 

[winjer]

We don't need E3. Companies just need to release the trailers on youtube, and forget the filler.
No point in wasting resources with booths and big presentations.

 

[NintPlayBox]

Another blow to the ReedPop organizers... Microsoft being the last standing console manufacturer stepping away from them might be a clear sign of things needing to change.

 

[psycros]

We don't need E3. Companies just need to release the trailers on youtube, and forget the filler.
No point in wasting resources with booths and big presentations.

These events are really only for the benefit of journalists, an these days most of whom are just individuals posting videos online. How many people actually go to PCMag or CNET as their first choice for news? I prefer reading to watching but I know I'm in the minority, and even I find it a little easier to trust someone that has a day job and isn't a corporate shill. But its not just the legacy media - now the "new" media born in the early days of the web is struggling against the onslaught of wannabe Youtube stars. Its like porn - people will usually choose free over quality, and if the free options include professional quality content then you know who's going to win. Combine that with every company taking their PR and distribution in-house and something like E3 or CES has little hope of survival.

 

[p51d007]

Other than the silly "giveaway bling", these shows are worthless.

 

[kiwigraeme]

CES makes sense as veterans can use their knowledge to sense a change.- It's hardware based - so seeing new products is important - comparatives are needed as purchases are normally exclusive - eg you buy one TV - is it LG or Samsung or .....

But we hardly even get physical copies anymore - so they want a physical show ???- excepting launching new consoles and other hardware

Plus the hype train , shrill train potential is enormous - all of this is better handled by digital online sources and ultimately us the consumers