E3 2023

Like the line from the end of every James Bond movie, E3 will return – and this time, they really mean it. Beleaguered industry establishment the ESA (or Entertainment Software Association), perhaps recognising it needs external help, has partnered with PAX and New York Comic Con production company ReedPop to make a 2023 event at the iconic Los Angeles Convention Center happen.

Full disclosure: Hookshot Media – and, thus, Push Square – is a partner of ReedPop. Naturally, this author no longer believes E3 is dead!

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The press release stresses that E3 2023 will “reunite the global video game industry for a week of titanic AAA reveals, earth-shaking world premieres, and exclusive access to the future of video games” as well as “feature in-person consumer components”. Considering ReedPop’s background in consumer events, we’re expecting the future of E3 to be much more public-facing than past instalments – although, even with all of the ESA’s fumbles, the event had been heading in that direction regardless.

“It is a tremendous honour and privilege for ReedPop to take on the responsibility of bringing E3 back in 2023,” bragged chuffed ReedPop bigwig Lance Fensterman. “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.”

It’s a fascinating development, and with Geoff Keighley unlikely to pull the plug on his own Summer Game Fest – which is planning a larger in-person aspect as well next year – it looks like the war of summer showcases is just beginning. Of course, these events are nothing without publishers and platform holders to support them, and with major manufacturers like Sony now able to easily advertise directly to consumers, it remains to be seen whether they’ll see the value in returning.

The proof will, as always, be in the pudding, then – but E3 is back, and it now has a competent production company at the helm. Let’s see what 2023’s incarnation brings…