E3 2023 has been cancelled.
The video gaming expo - which has served as one of the industry's largest exhibitions since it was launched in 1995 - was due to return to Los Angeles for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic will not be going ahead in June as planned, organisers have announced.
Reedpop’s Kyle Marsden-Kish said in a joint statement with the ESA: "This was a difficult decision because of all the effort we and our partners put toward making this event happen, but we had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3. We appreciate and understand that interested companies wouldn’t have playable demos ready and that resourcing challenges made being at E3 this summer an obstacle they couldn’t overcome. For those who did commit to E3 2023, we’re sorry we can’t put on the showcase you deserve and that you’ve come to expect from ReedPop’s event experiences."
Known as "video game Christmas" to fans, the event is used by many developers, publishers, hardware, and accessory manufacturers to showcase upcoming releases and it is not yet known whether the expo will ever return in the future as a "reevaluation" of the circumstances is yet to take place.
A statement posted on the show's website read: "Show organiser ReedPop announces E3 2023 will not take place as scheduled this June, with both physical and digital events cancelled. Alongside the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), both parties will reevaluate the future of E3."