History has a funny way of showing us how much something is essential or not important. After all, we must change with the times, and something that is “nuanced” or “niche” at one point in time can soon become something that everyone enjoys or has access to. In the case of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, it was once the most important video game event ever, and now it’s not. When it was in its prime, it was something that every primary video game developer felt compelled to go to and show off their stuff in. Fast forward to E3 2023, and that’s not the case.
E3 2023 will be the first event in three years due to the global pandemic and the personal choices of those that run the event. Their intent with this show was to show that they were back and “better than ever,” even bringing in the ReedPop group to help organize the event. If you don’t know, ReedPop is the team behind many major Comic-Con events in the United States and is known for its quality and fan-friendly shows.
However, it was almost immediately known that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo wouldn’t be attending the event for one reason or another. Nintendo recently said that the event “didn’t fit their plans” for the year, so they’re not coming.
With those three major players out, many wondered who would show up. Well, a statement by ReedPop, as noted by VGC, seems to paint a picture that AAA companies are coming.
The registration for industry professionals opened today, and ReedPop noted that “AAA companies, in addition to indie darlings and tech and hardware firms,” would be at the show. But so you know, they didn’t drop any definitive names as to who those companies and “darlings” might be.
Another thing they noted with registration is that over 1300 people within the media and other content creators have already signed up to try and be a part of the show.
Whether this amounts to anything remains to be seen. It’s possible that those who have signed up are going merely to see what E3 will be like this year and if this is the “last hoorah” for a famous brand. Then again, companies like Ubisoft, Konami, Square Enix, and more might show up to take the spotlight for themselves and enjoy all the media attention.
Regardless of what happens personnel-wise, this show is absolutely the tipping point for what happens next. So we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
