A day after Ubisoft’s abrupt exit from E3 2023, Sega and Tencent have followed suit and it sounds like more companies will do the same.
Microsoft and Nintendo’s decision to skip E3 2023 (combined with Sony’s continued absence) was already considered a death knell for the event, since they’re easily the biggest names in the games business.
Just yesterday, Ubisoft announced it too would not be attending, despite initially pledging to go, and will instead host one of its Ubisoft Forward showcases around the same time.
Now, Sega and Tencent have decided to kick E3 while it’s down and pull out of the event as well.
E3 has struggled to keep itself relevant in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Following the cancelled 2020 event, it managed to hold a digital one in 2021, which no-one watched, but 2022’s event was cancelled in its entirety.
2023 was supposed to be the big comeback but it appears publishers have decided they don’t need a public event to make announcements and can just do them remotely.
Plus, it allows them to exhibit more control over what’s being shown, ultimately resulting in far fewer hands-on previews and developer interviews than before the pandemic.
Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest – which was created to make up for E3’s 2020 absence – already seems to have supplanted it, as it has consistently run every year and partnered with all manner of developers and publishers, including the big names.
Although much like The Games Awards it’s a tightly controlled event that shows only exactly what publishers want you to see.
Both Sega and Tencent have provided statements to IGN confirming their absences, although neither explicitly says why they’re not taking place.
‘After careful consideration, we have decided not to participate in E3 2023 as an exhibitor. We look forward to sharing more information on announced and unannounced projects in the future,’ was all Sega had to say.
Losing this many notable publishers is bad enough, but IGN adds that even more plan to follow suit and just haven’t announced those plans yet.
All of this leaves E3’s future in question, with one unidentified source telling IGN, ‘There’s no possible way this show can happen’ following the Ubisoft announcement.
IGN adds that many publishing and PR figures are equally concerned about the event, with a lot of uncertainty about who is actually going. Plus, there’s apparently been a serious lack in communication with organisers the ESA and ReedPop.
As if that wasn’t enough, ReedPop is in the middle of a major shakeup, as company president Lance Fensterman is stepping down and will be replaced by Michael Kisken, the current vice president.
It won’t be surprising if E3 2023 is ultimately cancelled. If it does, then this could mark the permanent end of E3, which would be a sour day for the games industry and gamers alike.
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