With the cancellation of E3 2022, the famous gaming event and celebration has officially had a rough go of it in recent years, having been cancelled for two out of the last three years, with the remaining of those three years having seen it putting up a rather subdued digital-only event. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) recently said, however, that E3 would be back in 2023, and that has now been formally announced.
E3 2023 will be a physical, in-person event held in Los Angeles in June next year. Recent years have seen the event and organizer ESA drawing criticism for sloppy production, but it seems like big changes are afoot on that front as well. The ESA has confirmed that it is partnering with ReedPop, who will produce next year’s show. ReedPop, in case you’re unaware, is the veteran event production company behind PAX, New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, and more.
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege for ReedPop to take on the responsibility of bringing E3 back in 2023,” said Lance Fensterman, President of ReedPop. “With the support and endorsement of the ESA, we’re going to build a world class event to serve the global gaming industry in new and broader ways than we already do at ReedPop through our portfolio of world leading events and web sites.”
“For years, we’ve listened, heard, and studied the global gaming community’s feedback. E3 2023 will be recognizably epic—a return to form that honors what’s always worked—while reshaping what didn’t and setting a new benchmark for video game expos in 2023 and beyond,” said Kyle Marsden-Kish, ReedPop Global VP of Gaming who will lead the newly formed E3 team.
“We are thrilled to bring back E3 as an in-person event with ReedPop, a global leader in producing pop culture events,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, President and CEO of the ESA. “The past three years have confirmed that E3 convenes our industry like no other event. ReedPop brings world-class talent and a keen understanding of the video game industry, which will serve to enhance the E3 experience for years to come.”
The press release sent out to announce these changes confirms that E3 2023 will “welcome back publishers, developers, journalists, content creators, manufacturers, buyers, and licensors” and will “highlight digital showcases and feature in-person consumer components.”
Media registration for E3 2023 will begin in late 2022, and the ESA has made it a point to mention that it will be “streamlined and secure”. More details will arrive in the months ahead, so stay tuned.
