E3 2023 is cancelled

E3
(Image credit: ESA)

The planned big return of E3 in 2023 has been cancelled, as the ESA says it has been forced to pull the plug due to a lack of interest. 

E3 used to be the videogame industry's premiere showcase event, but it was brought low in 2020 by the Covid-19 pandemic. That led major publishers to hold their own online events instead, and that actually worked out pretty well, leading to serious questions about E3's relevance in the streaming era.

Those questions grew even louder as major publishers opted out of this year's event. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all declared in January that they wouldn't be taking part, while Ubisoft, which had previously committed, pulled out earlier this week.

E3 2023 was being organized by ReedPop, which runs PAX, New York Comic Con, and other conventions. Just last month, ReedPop president Lance Fensterman said that E3 2023 was "full speed ahead." Not anymore.

The ESA confirmed the cancellation of E3 2023, which was first reported by IGN, in an email sent to PC Gamer saying that both the on-site show and the digital event have been dropped.

"This was a difficult decision because of all the effort we and our partners put toward making this event happen, but we had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3," said Kyle Marsden-Kish, ReedPop's global VP of gaming. "We appreciate and understand that interested companies wouldn’t have playable demos ready and that resourcing challenges made being at E3 this summer an obstacle they couldn’t overcome. 

"For those who did commit to E3 2023, we're sorry we can’t put on the showcase you deserve and that you've come to expect from ReedPop’s event experiences."

Organizers aren't walking away from the possibility of bringing back E3 in some form, though: ReedPop and the ESA said they will "continue to work together on future E3 events."

The cancellation of the planned 2023 event leaves Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest, which is set to take place on June 8, unchallenged as the dominant game show of the season. Keighley paid tribute to E3's long history on Twitter, but also said that the show "wasn't evolving as it needed to compete in a global, digital world." His event, he says, is "what's next."

See more

The Summer Game Fest isn't the only show in town, though: Our own PC Gaming Show, and sister event Future Games Show, are also set to take place in mid June. Dates and other details will be announced soon.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
iicon - Interactive Innovation Conference logo
The organizers of E3 announce a new event called iicon, but it's not open to the public and you probably don't want to go anyway
PCGS Logo
The PC Gaming Show returns this June
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - JUNE 25: IOC Vice President Ng Ser Miang delivers a speech during the closing ceremony on day four of the Olympic Esports Week at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on June 25, 2023 in Singapore. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
The IOC says 'discussions are still ongoing,' but it sounds like the first-ever Olympic Esports Games may be delayed, possibly until 2027
Photo of BlizzCon 2023 main stage
BlizzCon 2025 isn't happening, meaning the event will miss its 20th anniversary, but it will return in 2026 to 'meaningfully elevate this iconic celebration'
Fields of Mistria art
2024 has been one of the most fragmented years for videogames and in hindsight I actually really liked that
James Sunderland looks at own face in mirror
After 2024, it feels like the games industry is poised for a vibe shift—or maybe a reckoning
Latest in Events & Conferences
Nolan North and Jennifer English, who will be hosting the Future Games Show's Spring Showcase.
Jennifer English (Shadowheart) and Nolan North (Nathan Drake) will be the illustrious hosts of the Future Games Show this year
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's Rellana
AGDQ 2025 kicks off this weekend, featuring an Elden Ring saxophone boss rush, an 'All Romances' run of Fallout: New Vegas, and some of the worst games ever made
Key art for the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted
How to watch the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2024
Golden Joystick awards 2024 banner
The 42nd annual Golden Joystick Awards are live now—watch the whole show here
Promo for the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, showing host Frankie Ward.
The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted returns with announcements and reveals galore this December 5
Key art for the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted
Here are the nominees for PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted
Latest in News
A photo of an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor surrounded by DDR5 memory sticks from Corsair, Kingston, and Lexar
Fresh leak suggests Intel's on-again-off-again Arrow Lake CPU refresh is back on the menu (boys)
A Colorful RTX 5080 and its box
Three lucky folks in India can win the dubious honour of buying an RTX 5080 GPU at Nvidia MSRP
The Facebook 'Like' emoji logo is seen in this photo illustration on 22 August, 2023 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Get ready to argue with your weird Uncle on Facebook again. Meta is rolling out its new fact checking solution to it's 190 million users in the United States
Gabe Newell in a Valve promotional video, on a yacht.
Go ahead and complain the discounts aren't as steep as they used to be, but Steam just had its biggest year ever for seasonal sales
Valve Steam Deck OLED handheld PC
'The future of hardware at Valve is bright': Valve celebrates the success of Steam Deck and Steam OS
Key art of the videogame Lunacid, showing a pale, long haired knight in purple armor contemplating a purple, flaming sword surrounded by the different phases of the moon.
One of my favorite indie RPGs is getting a follow-up made with FromSoftware's 25-year-old Super Mario Maker for first person dungeon crawlers