Xbox, Nintendo, & PlayStation reportedly all skipping E3 2023

All ‘big three’ console manufacturers, Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation, are reportedly not attending E3 2023 for the trade show’s first physical event in four years. 

E3, the trade show which is traditionally held at the Los Angeles Convention Centre, has been the hub for some of gaming’s biggest announcements and showcases over the years. Thanks in no small part to Xbox, Nintendo, and Sony, as the gaming giants have used the event to reveal many of its biggest projects and new hardware developments on stage. However, all three are reportedly not showing up for this year’s event. 

According to sources close to IGN, none of the big three will be participating in the event, nor will they have any presence at the convention center. 

SCOOP: IGN has learned that Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo won't be a formal part of E3 2023, meaning they won't have a presence on the show floor among other things.

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Xbox has traditionally attended E3, even being on the board of the Entertainment Software Association, the organizers of E3. So its decision to not have any presence during the event comes as a surprise as they were the most likely to do so.

At the last E3 in 2019, Xbox had booths set up in the neighboring Microsoft Stadium instead of the convention center itself. And in a blog post announcing games to be released this year, Xbox said they were working on a standalone show in the summer with no mention of E3. 

Nintendo was the only one of the big three which had a show on the floor in 2019. Despite the company all but pioneering the “Direct” format, where developers talked directly to consumers in scripted videos streamed live, they still maintained a presence on the show floor. 

But according to IGN, their sources have told them the company will not attend this year’s E3. It was speculated that Nintendo most likely did not have many games to announce as they are reaching the end of the life-cycle of the Switch. 

Sony, meanwhile, has not attended an E3 since 2019. Opting out of 2020’s, before it was canceled, 2021 and 2022. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Sony in recent years preferred to announce new games through their State of Play instead of formal events.