Journalists IGN talked to various sources in publishers and PR departments about E3 2023, which has lost big players like Sony, Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft and others in recent months. The media found out that now SEGA and Tencent have dropped out of the event, and the holding of the event itself is now a big question.
The publication emphasizes that more and more companies will refuse to participate in E3 over time. EA, Square Enix, Embracer Group, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Take-Two and Warner Bros. Games did not comment on their participation.
IGN sources said that almost no one has 100% confirmed their participation, and ESA and ReedPop (the organizers of E3 2023) do not communicate with potential participants in any way. On the eve of news of Ubisoft’s withdrawal, another source told the publication that the show simply “can’t happen.”
The situation is similar to the one in which everyone is waiting for someone to jump first, but no one decides, and time is running out.
In previous years, many game developers and publishers have been talking about their plans for E3 as early as March. IGN interlocutors note that companies still cannot recover from the effects of COVID-19 – some still have not reached the level before 2020.
Amid the uncertainty around E3 2023, IGN reporters said that ReedPop’s president, Lance Fensterman, will leave ReedPop after 14 years of operation.
E3 2023 is scheduled to take place from June 13th to 16th.