E3, the major gaming industry summer showcase, is under new management, and will now be organised by PAX company ReedPop.
In a statement (via VGC), ReedPop said that it would welcome "publishers, developers, journalists" and more to both digital and in-person components starting from 2023.
Last month, the Entertainment Software Assocation (ESA), announced that E3 2023 would be both in-person and digital after years of Covid-related disruption leading to digital-only events as well as outright cancellations.
ReedPop is a well-established gaming industry events company, running Penny Arcade Expo shows across the world, New York Comic-Con, and the EGX events in the UK. As former showrunners, the ESA had come under fire in recent years for failing to keep E3 relevant, leading to major names including Sony, Nintendo, and Activision leaving the expo behind in favour of their own digital events.
In a statement, ReedPop president Lance Festerman says that the event will go forward "with the support and endorsement of the ESA." In a GI.biz article, ReedPop's head of games B2B, Chris Dring, said that the company is aiming to "embrace everything that takes place during E3 week." That includes Geoff Keighley's Summer Games Fest, which has sprung up as a notable alternative to E3 over the past few years.
ReedPop has confirmed that E3 2023 will take place in the Los Angeles Convention Center in the second week of June 2023, and promised "AAA reveals, [...] world premieres, [...] and exclusive access to the future of video games." It's not entirely clear how the partnership with the ESA will manifest, but we've reached out for further clarification on this front.
