After early reports suggested that none of the “Big 3” console platform holders in PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo would be attending this year’s freshly-returned E3 event, we now have official confirmation of at least one of those absences.
As reported by VentureBeat, Nintendo has revealed that it will definitely not have a presence on the E3 show floor this year due to the show not fitting into its event plans.
Nintendo confirmed this with the outlet in a statement, saying “We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans. Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA and E3.”
The last in-person E3 event was in 2019, an event which Nintendo did have a presence at. The company also held a virtual Nintendo Direct during E3’s 2021 digital event.
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
Of course, even without a physical presence at E3 or any digital co-operation, Nintendo may well hold a Direct of its own to coincide with the “Summer of Gaming” season in June – it would certainly make sense with the claim that its own event plans prevented an attendance.
In response to the original story around the lack of major console vendors, new E3 organiser ReedPop had said:
“E3 is such a significant event for the game industry and being entrusted with an important cultural touchstone is not a responsibility ReedPop takes lightly. Since ReedPop took on the contract to run E3 six months ago, we’ve worked diligently with ESA members based on their feedback to create a new type of E3 that supports their goals and needs.
“This process has taken time due to the tremendous amount of stakeholders offering input, though we appreciate that we could have been more transparent to questions for which we were still finalizing the answers. We continue to work tirelessly to create a show that brings together the global gaming industry. We believe we’ve created a new format for the event that serves the needs of both the industry and its fans, and are committed to building and growing it in the coming years.
“As we spent much of 2022 refining how E3 2023 would take shape, reflecting on the feedback we solicited, we did not send a single contract to an exhibitor until the start of this month. We have received a tremendous amount of interest and verbal commitments from many of the biggest companies in the industry, and when we are ready to announce the exhibitors we are confident it will be a lineup that will make the trip to Los Angeles well worth it for the industry and consumers alike.”
