E3 IS BACK: ESA Aiming For Big Comeback In 2023

June 8, 2022 Papa Dom

In an interview with The Washington Post that dropped this week, ESA president Stan Pierre-Louis has confirmed that E3 is far from dead.

This year – marking the second time in three years – E3 was cancelled. Many have said that this is for the best, with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest now an annual digital staple and with many publishers hosting their own digital events every year – some have even suggested that in-person events should just go the way of the dinosaurs completely. But E3 didn’t hear no bell just yet, and they’re coming back in a big way next year.

“We’re excited about coming back in 2023 with both a digital and an in-person event. 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.”
ESA president Stan Pierre-Louis, via The Washington Post

Since the mid-90’s, the ESA has hosted E3 on an annual basis. The event used to be appointment television for gamers worldwide, as we huddled around our TVs every year, flipped over to G4, and watched as gaming’s biggest developers took the stage to reveal the latest and greatest in gaming software and hardware.

It was a magical time, back then. E3 is one of those events where I can confidently tell you where I was when certain things were announced. Seeing Shigeru Miyamoto take the stage with the Master Sword, watching the first Xbox unveiled, the list goes on and on. As cool as Summer Game Fest is, I personally have experienced a lot of fatigue with just watching endless trailers and ads for games. Many of us have spent the last few years working via Zoom and inundated with endless slideshows and recordings, and I know I’m not alone in yearning for the showmanship, pomp, and HUMAN element to return to gaming trade shows.

One of my dreams is to see E3 in person, and for a while, I figured that dream was truly dead. So welcome back, E3, it’s great to see you again.

There’s no set date for E3 2023 just yet, but I bet we’ll get one soon.