The ‘big three’ won’t be making it to the big show this year. According to IGN, “multiple knowledgeable sources” have told them that Sony, Nintendo, and Xbox won’t be part of E3 2023 or have any presence on the Los Angeles Convention Center show floor.
For many, it may come as a surprise to see that Xbox, in particular, are skipping E3 2023 this year. Out of the three big gaming platforms that have a history with E3, Xbox had the most upcoming games to showcase, especially with its upcoming game Starfield. But it may not be too surprising, as this new information follows Xbox’s recent announcement that they’ll be running their own standalone showcase for summer this year.
Despite being independent for 2023, Xbox CEO, Phil Spencer, clarified their support for E3 in an interview with IGN.
As E3 is presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Phil Spencer said that “Xbox is on the board of the ESA, and I think a successful and healthy ESA is critical to what we’re trying to go do…we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help make the E3 successful.” He further mentioned that Xbox’s summer showcase will be timed in a way that is “convenient for press and consumers that are going to the E3 event.” We’ve yet to receive a specific date for Xbox’s own summer showcase.
IGN also reports that Nintendo and Sony won’t be present at E3 either, but with Sony’s State of Play, and Nintendo Direct, both companies have been leaning towards independence for a while now. Having them skip out on E3 2023 shouldn’t be unexpected, given the success the two companies have had with their livestreams.
E3 2023 will take place from June 13th to June 16th as the first in-person E3 since COVID. On September 26th, the ESA announced their partnership with ReedPop to bring back E3 for the first time since COVID in all its former glory, but the absence of the big three makes this already tough task even tougher.
