E3 died in 2023 but the Entertainment Software Association is still around, and it's just unveiled its new idea: "a first-of-its-kind event designed to connect visionaries, thought leaders and innovators from across industries to harness the power of interactive entertainment" called iicon.
Two things right off the start: No, this is not a reborn E3, and no, I didn't spell it wrong. Iicon is a snappy abbreviation for the Interactive Innovation Conference, and its goal is to provide attendees "exclusive access to visionary keynotes, engaging discussions and workshops, and elite networking opportunities with executives shaping the future of entertainment, business and technology." Those executives will come from companies including Amazon Games, Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft and Warner Bros.
"The Entertainment Software Association and its member companies are among the innovators and leaders shaping the future of culture, business and human connection," ESA chairman Doug Bowser said. "It’s a natural role for ESA to host and support an event that fosters an open exchange of new ideas with our peer industry leaders.
"Iicon is bringing together changemakers from across industries to envision how the strengths of the interactive entertainment industry can break entirely new ground."
It doesn't sound like much fun in the way that E3 was, even in the days before the public was allowed to attend. There was an excitement to those events, as game and hardware makers showcased their wares to throngs of journalists, and we all eagerly read about what they saw in our favorite magazines or websites. And even though E3 was a fading star by the time it opened its doors to the public in 2016, there was genuine enthusiasm for it among gamers who wanted to know more about the next big (or even small) thing.
Iicon, by comparison, sounds more like executives talking to executives about executive stuff: Industry trends, share prices, how to make more games with fewer developers, maybe a little M&A, that sort of stuff.
But that's really a better fit for what the ESA does. Its mission, according to the ESA website, is "to help expand and protect the innovative and creative marketplace for the videogame industry here in the United States," through actions like "educating policymakers and regulators about the power of play and videogames' positive impact on society."
It also works as a lobby group for the industry as a whole: Earlier this week, for instance, the ESA issued a statement criticizing US president Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on products coming from Canada, Mexico, and China, saying they "would negatively impact hundreds of millions of Americans and would harm the industry’s significant contributions to the US economy. Last year it also lobbied against libraries and educational institutions being able to provide remote access to games for research purposes, claiming that such easy access to classic games "would present a serious risk to an important market."
Iicon clearly has a very different mandate than that of consumer-focused events like The Game Awards or PAX, one aimed primarily at investors and regulators rather than, well, you. Think of it this way: Phil Spencer might wear jeans and a t-shirt when he's up on stage with Geoff Keighley, but you better believe he's going to be in a suit and tie if he shows up at iicon.
So, setting aside the tiresome tradespeak—iicon will provide "a key opportunity to drive innovation and foster collaboration across sectors"—the conference makes sense, at least as far as a justification for the ongoing existence of the ESA. What makes less sense is it being held in Las Vegas just two months after DICE, another businessy, industry-only event. But the ESA doesn't control DICE, which may be exactly why it's aiming to jam another conference into the arena.
One estimate says the global videogame industry is set to surpass $300 billion in revenues by 2027, and it's a very normal and unremarkable thing for big players in such a lucrative business to get together and plot out the future. But will it mean much for the rest of us? Are we likely to see Keanu Reeves walk out on stage and tell the crowd, "You're breathtaking?" Probably not, no.
If, despite all this, you're still eager to attend and see what's cooking, you've got until April 2026 to become one of the "visionaries, thought leaders and innovators across industries that intersect with interactive entertainment" the ESA will be letting through the doors.
