The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is coming back as a physical event in Los Angeles next June with some major changes to the format. Borrowing a bit from European counterpart Gamescom, E3 2023 will be split up into Industry and Fan days, taking place June 13th through the 16th.
E3 has had a tumultuous few years, made only worse thanks to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shutting down much of the world. Since then the show has floundered, unable to find its footing across the industry landscape that has morphed into mostly direct-to-consumer showcases by large companies and publishers. As a result, E3 2020 was canceled thanks to the pandemic.
E3 did come back as a digital-only event in 2021, only to be met with criticism over how it was handled. Going back to the drawing board, the Entertainment Software Association, who owns E3, canceled the 2022 affair, announcing that Penny Arcade Expo showrunners, Reedpop, would be coordinating the next E3.
The Hype starts now. ??#E32023 will take place in person from June 13-16 in the Los Angeles Convention Center with separated business and consumer days and areas.More details here: https://t.co/VJc1R7gvrB pic.twitter.com/cHiNgYHjok
— E3 (@E3) September 26, 2022
E3 2023 will take place in Los Angeles like its predecessors with a few twists. For starters, the organizers are keeping the trend of selling tickets to fans that are eager to attend a trade show many of us grew up watching on TV. This was something the ESA had started to do before the pandemic, but it had the negative effect of disrupting the work of what is, at its core, an industry trade show.
As a result, Reedpop is taking a page out of Gamescom's book by hosting Industry-only days ahead of the full fan experience, while also having separated business and fan areas in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Reedpop also announced a dedicated theater with content for fans to watch during the show.
Ta, GamesIndustry.biz.
