Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are reportedly all skipping E3 2023

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are all skipping the revitalized E3 convention in June, according to a new report from IGN. E3 will be back as an in-person conference in Los Angeles after not happening at all in 2022, and I personally was hopeful that the big three console makers would be at the show when it takes place from June 13th through 16th to help make it feel like the big event of years past. But according to IGN’s reporting, that’s not the case.

That said, it’s not entirely unexpected. Sony first skipped E3 in 2019 and hasn’t been part of the convention since. Microsoft said last week that it would be doing a showcase in LA this summer but didn’t outright say the words E3. Nintendo has proven time and time again that it can drive huge news cycles with its can’t-miss Direct video presentations, so it may not feel the need to share the E3 spotlight. And since the show will be taking place about a month after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo may want to keep the attention of its fans on what could be one of the biggest games of the year.

As E3 has grown smaller, other digital stages have sprung up for game publishers to make their big announcements — most prominently, The Game Awards and the Summer Game Fest, both hosted by Geoff Keighley. He spoke to us in 2022 about where E3 does — or maybe doesn’t — fit into the gaming landscape. Incidentally, the Summer Game Fest account just tweeted that it will also be returning on June 8th, just a few days before E3.