The three largest platform holders in the video game business (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) may not even have booths at E3 2023.

We have not yet confirmed whether or not this is accurate, and when asked for comment via email, the Entertainment Software Industry sent us to ReedPop, the company responsible for the PAX fan conventions and the new custodian of the annual E3 trade exhibition in Los Angeles in early June.

If accurate, this is bad news for the industry as a whole, which is still adjusting to new realities in the wake of the epidemic and the economic crisis, and particularly bad news for the largest gaming trade fair in the United States.

According to a statement released by ReedPop, “E3 is transforming from its 2019 edition based on exhibitor and audience input.” Having this many people involved in a collaborative process is time-consuming. ReedPop is still dedicated to putting on a great event and can’t wait to announce the show’s format and all of the amazing vendors that will be there in the near future.

Longtime E3 sponsors Microsoft and Nintendo aren’t mentioned, and it’s unclear whether they’ll have booths this year. For those who have been keeping track, you may not be surprised to hear that Sony will not be returning to this year’s exhibition.

However, Microsoft and Nintendo often hosted pre-E3 events that attracted fans and industry people to E3 in the days before the convention.

E3 is now in its growth phase, with 69,200 participants in 2018 and an expected 66,100 in 2019. The number of exhibitors was above 200 in both years. However, due to the pandemic in the year2020, the programme was cancelled. There were just 33 exhibitors in the digital-only 2021 event, and the show was cancelled the following year.

The Game Awards presenter Geoff Keighley launched a rival programme during the epidemic that has since attracted tens of millions of viewers and small groups for in-person events like last year’s press conference. In 2021 especially, the level of rivalry affecting E3 was high.