It’s official: E3 is still alive and it’s planning to make a grand comeback next year. There is a notable difference this time, however. ReedPop, the organization responsible for running PAX, EGX, New York ComicCon, and other renowned pop culture trade shows, is now co-handling E3 with the ESA going forward.
As reported by other news outlets, E3 2023 will take place in the second week of June 2023 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This will be the first time E3 returns as an in-person event since 2019. E3 was canceled twice in 2020 and 2022 due to global pandemic health concerns. In 2021, the ESA cobbled together a virtual E3 show that hosted many game announcements, including Nintendo’s grand-slam Direct that showcased new Smash Ultimate DLC, Metroid Dread, and more of the sequel to Breath of the Wild.
While no word is mentioned yet about which exhibitors will be present for E3 2023, the ESA and ReedPop stated that more information will be shared in the coming months. They promise that a “streamlined and secure media registration” for the show will be available later this year. The partnered companies plan to incorporate a revived form of traditional in-person elements with digital showcases. “E3 2023 will be recognizably epic — a return to form that honors what’s always worked — while reshaping what didn’t,” stated Kyle Marsden-Kish, global Vice President of Gaming at ReedPop.
Meanwhile, Geof Keighly’s Summer Game Fest continues to charge full steam ahead into June 2023. It too will consist of in-person and virtual live stream components next year. Keighly’s own virtual dark-horse shows have helped fill the gap for the last two years when E3 and other events were canceled. But as more in-person conventions are slowly returning, competition will start heating up to see who is the best trailer-peddler.
