Today the Entertainment Software Association announced a partnership with ReedPop to organize E3 2023. ReedPop is a media company that has hosted some of the biggest events on the entertainment calendar, including PAX, New York Comic Con, EGX, Star Wars Celebration, and more.
E3 will return in June 2023 with both digital showcases and in-person events open to the general public. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, E3 canceled its live events in favor of a digital-only show in 2021, and the ESA announced earlier this year that the 2022 show was canceled entirely.
Hosted by the ESA, the E3 exhibition is an annual marketing and network showcase for the video game industry. With advances in online communication, many in the industry have questioned whether there is still an ongoing need for exhibitions like E3. For its part, E3 has tried to revitalize its brand by transitioning itself from an industry-only event to one that welcomes video game fans. However, this rebrand has met with mixed results and has not provided the rejuvenation that E3 was hoping for. ReedPop’s successful track record producing cons and other big fan events may provide the boost that E3 needs to solidify itself back into the gaming calendar.
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege for ReedPop to take on the responsibility of bringing E3 back in 2023,” said ReedPop president Lance Fensterman. “With the support and endorsement of the ESA, we’re going to build a world-class event to serve the global gaming industry in new and broader ways than we already do at ReedPop through our portfolio of world-leading events and websites.”