by The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) responded to IGN’s report that Xbox, Nintendo and Sony will not be officially attending E3, expressing support for ReedPop in a message to members and saying the organizer has made “strong progress” in reshaping the event. [Disclosure: I am a former ReedPop employee, where I ran USgamer until 2020].
The message, which was obtained by IGN and later confirmed to be authentic, can be viewed below.
As you probably saw, IGN published an E3 article last night. While we’re unable to comment on the specific claims in the article, we wanted to share our commitment to moving forward with E3.
E3 has a rich history within our industry, and we’re always excited to feel the passion for the show and hear what it means to different people. Relaunching a show after a three-year hiatus and a global pandemic was always going to have its challenges, which is why we conducted extensive research (in consultation with ESA member companies) to identify the best partner to produce the E3. By choosing ReedPOP as our partner, we were able to tap into their rich history of hosting popular industry events, like PAX, and broader consumer shows, like Comic Con.
They have made great strides in redesigning the event and have received tremendous support from companies of all sizes thinking not just about E3 2023, but how E3 fits in in marketing plans for 2024 and beyond.
It is important to note that even if the show evolves and adapts, it will not have an impact on the heart of ESA’s work for its member companies. Our priority remains the defense of your political interests at the state and federal levels.
We’ll share E3 news and developments as they become available. If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me. We thank you for your continued support.
The ESA partnered with ReedPop last year to relaunch E3, which hasn’t had a physical event since 2019. IGN understands that Nintendo and Xbox were originally interested in attending the event, but that the two had to pull out for reasons unrelated to the show themselves. VGC has since reported that Nintendo opted out of the event due to a light second-half release schedule not justifying the event space – a report that IGN can corroborate.
Xbox, meanwhile, would host a separate physical showcase the weekend leading up to E3 2023, which is currently set to take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 13 to June 16. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer previously confirmed that Microsoft will return to Los Angeles for its annual summer showcase.
Elsewhere, editors have expressed their displeasure with ReedPop’s handling of E3, with one source openly questioning how the show can go on when so much of the event appears to be up in the air.
“There’s not a good idea that there’s an understanding of what this show is going to be or how it’s going to pan out, which is odd from a company that does such amazing work with PAX. twice a year,” they told IGN in our report yesterday. . “It seemed like they would be the perfect shepherds for something like E3. So who knows where the problem is: is it an ESA problem? Is it a ReedPop problem? having a lot of genuine interest from game publishers in the E3 concept, but it’s really frustrating not having good solutions.”
IGN has contacted representatives from ESA and ReedPop and will update this story as needed. Representatives for Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation did not return prior requests for comment.
This story has been updated to remove unconfirmed reports that ReedPop was helping Xbox host a physical showcase separate from E3.
Kat Bailey is senior news writer at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Do you have any advice? DM him at @the_katbot.
