ESA president Stan Pierre-Louis told the Washington Post that he expects E3 to return as an in-person event in 2023.
The last in-person E3 took place in 2019. It was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Due to continued risk from the virus, it was a digital-only event in 2021. There is no official E3 event in 2022.
“We’re excited about coming back in 2023 with both a digital and in-person event,” Pierre-Louis said. “As much as we love these digital events, and as much as they reach people and we want that global reach, we also know that there’s a really strong desire for people to convene — to be able to connect in person and see each other and talk about what makes games great.”
Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest has filled the void left by E3. Last year’s Summer Game fest featured the world premiere of Elden Ring gameplay. Both Nintendo and Sony have been using digital events to make their announcements throughout the year. Microsoft has not fully adopted this model yet but continues to broadcast its traditional E3 press conference in June.
In theory, publishers and developers announcing games on their terms can be good. They don’t need to share the spotlight. Still, Pierre-Louis is a big fan of the in-person event.
“I think what’s great about all this experimentation is that companies of all sizes are trying to figure out what works best to promote the product and the content that they are looking to share with consumers,” he said. “And I think there is a space for a physical show; I think there’s an importance of having digital reach. Combining those two, I think there is a critical element of what we think E3 can provide.”
The ESA had hoped to have an in-person E3 this year. As previously mentioned, however, that is not happening.
