The ESA showed support for the event organizer ReedPop and recognized its work in overhauling the event highlighting the substantial progress made.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has responded to IGN's report of Xbox, Nintendo, and Sony's absence from E3 expressing support for ReedPop, the event organizer, and acknowledging ReedPop's efforts in restructuring the event as well as emphasizing the "strong progress" the new organizer made.
In a message viewed by IGN, the ESA admitted that there are challenges in reviving a tradeshow after a long hiatus and explained why ReedPOP was chosen as a partner for producing E3.
"In selecting ReedPOP as our partner, we have been able to tap into their rich history of hosting popular industry events, like PAX, and broader consumer shows, like Comic Con," the ESA wrote. "They have made strong progress in reshaping the event and have received tremendous support from industry companies of all sizes who are not only thinking about E3 2023, but how E3 fits into marketing plans for 2024 and beyond."
The ESA partnered with ReedPop last year to bring back the physical event, which was on hiatus since 2019 due to the COVID pandemic. After its absence in 2020, E3 transitioned to an online format in 2021, and in 2022, it was canceled again. This year, the ESA announced that the event will be coming back in an in-person format. It will take place from June 13 to 16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
According to IGN's latest report, Nintendo and Xbox initially planned to take part in E3 2023 but had to withdraw from participating in the convention for reasons unrelated to the event itself. As reported by VGC, Nintendo's decision was made due to a lighter second-half release schedule not warranting the need for event space. Xbox, on the other hand, is set to host a separate physical showcase before E3.
You can learn more about this year's E3 and read the ESA's full message here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform, our Reddit page, and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.