After a three-year hiatus, E3 is supposedly coming back with an in-person event in 2023 according to a report from The Washington Post.
“We’re excited about coming back in 2023 with both a digital and an in-person event,” ESA president and CEO Stan Pierre-Louis said in a statement to the Washington Post. “As much as we love these digital events, and as much as they reach people and we want that global reach, we also know that there’s a really strong desire for people to convene – to be able to connect in person and see each other and talk about what makes games great.”
The ESA, the parent company of the gaming convention, scrapped E3 2022 entirely due to COVID-19 concerns. This was the second time in three years they called off the event, as 2020’s convention was also canceled due to the global pandemic.
In 2021, E3 returned in an online format. This proved to be somewhat successful, as developers showcased exciting upcoming games through the digital showcase. However, the overall appeal of an in-person event was definitely missing from the game reveals and announcements.
There were also a number of controversies that popped up as a result of the digital-only event. The chief controversies revolved around who could actually stream E3 to viewers and a social feature that actually revealed the personal information of attendees to the world.
As for 2022, E3 is still scrapped, allowing them time to figure out details for 2023. However, the Summer Games Fest, hosted by former E3 host Geoff Keighley, is set to begin on Wednesday. The objective of SGF is relatively the same as E3, which is to showcase new games and hardware to the world. The Summer Games Fest features both digital and in-person elements, though the in-person element is mainly centered around the press.
Pierre-Louis said he believes that both the digital and in-person aspects of a convention like E3 are important. When asked about the recent emergence of digital events such as Sony’s State of Play or Nintendo Direct, the ESA president and CEO said, “I think there is a space for a physical show; I think there’s an importance of having digital reach. Combining those two, I think there is a critical element of what we think E3 can provide.”
There is currently no date for E3 2023, as the ESA has only announced the return of the convention so far. Fans should expect it to take place in Los Angeles, California during the summer of 2023, though, as that’s been the recipe for success over the years for ESA.
Published: Jun 7, 2022 01:21 pm