Bestgamingpro

Product reviews, deals and the latest tech news

Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony appear to be skipping E3 2023

It’s possible that 2023 will be the first year where none of the big three console makers (Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo) show up at E3. For the video game industry, this is a watershed moment after years of slow change.

The forthcoming Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PS5 titles are often revealed during the E3 event in June. The event has long been a staple on the calendars of gamers and game developers alike, whether for announcements of new games or updates on already released ones.

However, according to IGN, “several informed sources have told us that Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo will not be participating at E3 2023 or having a presence on the Los Angeles Convention Center exhibition floor.”

According to the source, the three major platform holders will not be present at the exhibition to make their titles playable for the press or customers. However, we may still hear from them at showcases around the event.

Microsoft announced its “yearly display this summer” back in January, but the company has yet to clarify whether or not it would be present at E3. IGN is convinced that Xbox “won’t have a presence on the exhibition floor,” despite the fact that Xbox is on the board of the Entertainment Software Association, the organisation responsible for E3.

Sony has a history of not attending E3, so its absence this year would not be unexpected. The electronics giant, which this year is selling the Nintendo Switch, has historically had a significant presence at E3. However, Nintendo’s absence would be unexpected.

Dangerous triad

“We spent much of 2022 refining how E3 2023 would take shape, reflecting on the feedback we solicited, we did not send a single contract to an exhibitor until the start of this month,” E3’s organizer ReedPop told IGN in a statement. “We have received a tremendous amount of interest and verbal commitments from many of the biggest companies in the industry, and when we are ready to announce the exhibitors we are confident it will be a lineup that will make the trip to Los Angeles well worth it for the industry and consumers alike.”

ReedPop has been quite tight-lipped about what we can expect to see at E3, much like Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo. The implications are loud, but the event organisers have been mum on the matter of the big three possibly not attending.

Formerly known as Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, this event was a combination of a press conference, a marketing platform, and a convention for video game fans. When BioWare released the cinematic trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic in 2011 at E3, I was there, and I still remember it well to this day.

The E3 of 2023 doesn’t have the same cultural clout as it had in the past, it appears. However, it’s safe to assume that there will be enough to choose from even if Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo don’t have booths. Without them, E3 isn’t likely to regain its status as the industry’s premier event for announcing new games and generating buzz. For better or worse, it seems like we’ll have to choose between a number of different Showcases and streams to receive our news.