Xbox is the latest major gaming brand to officially say it won’t be on the E3 show floor, confirming the decision. to IGN on Friday. Just this week, Microsoft announced the June 11 date for its annual Xbox showcase and a star field show, but we didn’t yet know if Xbox would actually be on the floor of this year’s in-person E3 convention.
“We are looking forward to hosting our Xbox Games Showcase on June 11 and will share more details later,” an Xbox spokesperson said in a statement to IGN. “We also hope to co-broadcast our event as part of E3 Digital and will not be on the E3 show floor.”
In February, Nintendo confirmed that it would not be a part of E3, which now means that neither Nintendo nor Microsoft will have booths at the convention. Don’t be under the illusion that Sony is there: the company skipped E3 in 2019 and hasn’t been back since, and IGN reported in january that Sony would also pass in 2023. Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, ReedPop’s owner, Reed Exhibitions US, said news about exhibitors will be forthcoming. “Along with upcoming announcements from other AAA companies regarding their own participation, we look forward to sharing more from the publishers who will be a part of our digital showcase series and showcasing on the show floor in the lead up to the return of E3,” Kyle Marsden-Kish, global vice president of games at Reed Exhibitions US, said.
The E3 convention is scheduled for June 13-16, and E3 “Digital Week” will kick off on June 11 with Microsoft’s Xbox program. Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest returns just a few days before all that on June 8.
