E3 2023 officially cancelled

Sorry, gamers: E3 2023 has officially been cancelled. 

Confirmed by IGN, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has officially cancelled the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) for 2023. In an email to its members, the ESA stated that E3 2023 didn’t “garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry.” 

In other words, the ESA is concerned that E3 will no longer draw large enough crowds or response to justify its cost. After all, E3 is a massive event involving dozens (if not hundreds) of companies across the gaming world. It takes a lot of money to put on a show the size of E3, and it requires a massive audience to support that cost.

Additionally, the writing has been on the wall for this year’s expo. The biggest players in the console world (Nintendo, Xbox, and Sony) had already cancelled their plans to appear at E3 this year. Considering most gaming companies can reach their audiences via livestreams or online announcements, expos like E3 are becoming less economically viable. It’s far cheaper for Nintendo to release a stream of low-cost streams or online announcements throughout the year than to prepare a large-scale hour-long production on one calendar day.

This cancellation marks the second year in a row (and the third time since 2020) that E3 has been cancelled. E3 2020 was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. E3 2021 was held as an online-only show, and the ESA cancelled last year’s expo. As such, this may be the nail in the coffin for what was once the largest annual event in the gaming world. 

Buy the Logitech G432 wired gaming headset at Amazon.

Related Articles

Sam Medley – Senior Tech Writer – 1242 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2016

I’ve been a computer geek my entire life. After graduating college with a degree in Mathematics, I worked in finance and banking a few years before taking a job as a database administrator. I started working with Notebookcheck in October of 2016 and have enjoyed writing news and reviews. I’ve also written for other outlets including UltrabookReview and GeeksWorldWide, focusing on consumer guidance and video gaming. My areas of interest include the business side of technology, retro gaming, Linux, and innovative gadgets. When I’m not writing on electronics or tinkering with a device, I’m either outside with my family, enjoying a decade-old video game, or playing drums or piano.