Who’s left?

May as properly begin unpacking your baggage; IGN is reporting that Sega and Tencent have confirmed to them that they will be skipping E3 2023. At this level, the checklist of corporations not attending outsizes those who’ve confirmed they’re.

Whereas the 2 greatest takeaways from IGN’s article is that Sega and Tencent received’t be on the ground, in addition they obtained phrase that Devolver Digital isn’t attending in any capability. Whereas the writer would usually arrange store within the parking zone as an unofficial demonstration, this 12 months, they’re not even planning that. There will likely be a Devolver Direct in June, nonetheless.

It’s not trying good for E3, which was already dealing with an uphill battle in re-establishing itself after the COVID pandemic. Whereas online game conventions and exhibits are nonetheless widespread, E3 has lengthy been held as a form of online game Christmas that each one players sit up for. Large sport and {hardware} bulletins have been withheld for this time of 12 months.

The expo’s battle for relevancy received’t finish this 12 months. IGN reached out to quite a few publishers to get a response on whether or not they’ll be attending and acquired principally radio silence. Whereas that doesn’t imply they undoubtedly received’t be there, in a traditional 12 months, most corporations would have introduced their intentions already.

I’ve blended emotions about this, however primarily I’m rooting for E3. It’s been working since I used to be a child, and I keep in mind getting excited for it and watching online game information. It’s completely different now that the web has modified the velocity at which we will hear of recent occasions, so perhaps that is the unavoidable future, however I’m going to overlook that hype-based burst of dopamine.