Very complicated moments that E3 2023 is going through. The one that has always been classified as largest video game fair in the world is suffering constant losses from some of its main referents in recent days. And that is a symptom of a much greater evil.
While Sony distanced itself years ago, Nintendo and Xbox said goodbye a few weeks ago, while Ubisoft announced its decision in the same vein yesterday. Now, as reported from IGN, both Tencent like SEGA have decided to lower the blind for this year’s edition.
“After careful consideration, we have decided not to participate in E3 2023 as an exhibitor. We hope to share more information about announced and unannounced projects in the future,” Sonic’s parents explain. On the part of the Chinese giant, they assure that Level Infinite will not be present at E3 2023, despite the fact that last year they had “an ideal experience to show our games to the media.”
a chronic disease
It does not seem coincidental that this trail of dropouts has been happening in recent times. Devolver Digital has also confirmed to the outlet that they will not participate adjacent to E3 as they usually have. This is his full statement:
While we always support the success of any industry gathering that promotes great games, we’ve never officially attended E3, and sadly don’t plan to this year. We will also confirm that we will not be hosting satellite events this year in Los Angeles, but we look forward to returning to our beloved set to do so if the opportunity for a future hosted event in Los Angeles arises. We are happy to report that we are well along in the production of our annual Devolver Direct scheduled for June, which we will share news about soon.
The truth is that from IGN they have contacted public relations personnel associated with the event and the concern is clear. “There is no possible way for this event to take place.“Assured a source before the Ubisoft revelation. If the expected deadlines were met, both the ESA and ReedPop would have informed the companies about the status of the event in March, which is not happening in 2023.
According to the testimonies collected, the communication between the organizers and the participants is between confusing and null. There are representatives who are not sure if there will be their own stand -and budgeted- for June in Los Angeles, so they still have the idea of being present in the city on the table, although in another venue.
The financial crisis, caused by the coronavirus, has seriously affected the viability of events such as E3 2023. In 2020 it was suspended, returned digitally in 2021 and disappeared again in 2022, for which reason companies have decided to reserve their investments for Move forward with delayed projects. Multiple sources have assured IGN that there are still many companies that have not recovered from the financial setback, so they opt for smaller spaces like Gamescom or PAX. Future plans are not encouraging at ReedPop either.
The brand feels betrayed by movements like that of Ubisoft, which was originally committed to the fair. On the other hand, the outlet has been able to see an email in which President Lance Fensterman is about to resign from his position after 14 years so that Vice President Michael Kisken takes his place. Much of the plans from companies like Square Enix, Embracer Group, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Take-Two and Warner Bros. have yet to be defined, but the signs are bad. Andy Robinson, VGC journalist, aim that he would not be surprised if E3 2023 “was canceled this week” after collecting information about it. We will see what happens in the next few hours.
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