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The ESA is already making plans for next year.
When it was announced a few months ago that E3 would be missing a year again due to pandemic concerns, some began to wonder if this was a sign that E3’s time had officially passed. After all, not long after that announcement, most of the major publishers announced their own presentations with little difficulty (some of which are airing today, in fact). However, while this is the second summer in a few years E3 has missed, they’re not looking to give up just yet.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Stan Pierre-Louis, President and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, E3’s parent company, announced that the company is already deep in plans to bring E3 back in 2023.
“We’re excited about coming back in 2023 with both a digital and an 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.”
ESA President and CEO Stan PIerre-Louis says E3 2023 will be a hybrid event. https://t.co/cwOHahiuJc
— PCMag (@PCMag) June 8, 2022
Pierre-Louis has no problem with the rise of digital presentation, believing that it’s good for publishers to adjust the way they deliver info and announcements with the times. However, he doesn’t believe the era of the in-person convention is over yet.
“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.”
