When E3 canceled E3 2022, fans of the convention wondered if the premier games showcase would ever return. The Entertainment Software Association announced via gamesindustry.biz that the once-illustrious industry show would return in 2023, but now with a new partner: ReedPop.
E3 2022 was originally meant to be held online as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the ESA ultimately decided to cancel the event altogether and prepare for next year's in-person event.
ReedPop is known as the organizer behind other popular conventions such as PAX, New York Comic Con, EGX, and Star Wars Celebration. It will hold E3 2023 at the event's longtime home, the Los Angeles Convention Center, during the second week of June. More information, including confirmed exhibitors, will be shared later this year.
Many in the industry remain skeptical about the future of E3, as, for one thing, major gaming publishers like Nintendo and Sony have been shifting toward their own smaller events every few months as opposed to one giant, centralized and shared event like E3. The event also has new and formidable competition as the marquee gaming event of the year, as Geoff Keighley's Summer Games Fest essentially acted as a virtual E3 event, allowing publishers the chance to show off the new projects they were working on.
In addition to bringing back E3, it looks like ReedPop is also interested in making improvements to the event. This includes tightening the security of media registration as the media list previously leaked and journalists were doxxed as a result. They are also working to implement a better combination of digital and in-person components, as more fans than ever are witnessing the events of the conference solely over the internet.
This article was originally published on dbltap as ReedPop to Run In-Person E3 2023.
