E3 2023 Has Officially Been Canceled. Here's Why

The writing has been on the wall for a little while now, but it's official: E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is not happening this year. The news was first broken by IGN, whose sources provided excerpts from an email from the Entertainment Software Association, the parent company behind E3. In the email, ESA reportedly expressed its feelings that this year's convention was not attracting companies or audiences in the way that it was meant. The ESA remarked that 2023's show "simply did not garner the sustained interest necessary to execute it in a way that would showcase the size, strength, and impact of our industry."

Rumors have been circulating regarding the possible cancelation of E3 for a while now, particularly as multiple publishers and software companies — including heavy hitters such as Nintendo and Xbox — have opted to host their own events this year. For instance, Ubisoft announced just this week that it would be hosting Ubisoft Forward Live this June in lieu of attending E3. This latest cancelation will no doubt come as a disappointment to fans who were looking forward to this year's expo. 

The news has seemingly left the convention's future plans up in the air.

With E3 being canceled due to a perceived lack of interest and support, the big question on everyone's mind right now is: Will this be the end of E3? There are actually a few reasons why folks shouldn't count E3 out just yet.

For one thing, the email shared with IGN stated that the ESA still views E3 as "a beloved event and brand," which would seem to imply that E3 isn't being put out to pasture just yet. If the ESA still believes in E3, there's a solid chance it'll return in some capacity — though future events could be more scaled back than the typical convention experience.

It's also worth noting that this is not the first time E3 has been canceled. Of course, 2020's convention didn't happen due to COVID-19 restrictions, which also caused 2021's E3 to become an online event. Even so, if E3 can survive mandated shutdowns, then the ESA can probably figure out a way to make it work in the future.