Ubisoft joins the Big Three in ditching E3 2023

Ubisoft makes a u-turn and won’t attend E3 in 2023

In another blow for E3 2023 its biggest announced attendee, Ubisoft, had decided not to show up at the event after all, pulling out from having a physical presence at the convention. While the Big Three – Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony – had already stated that they wouldn’t be on the E3 floor this year, Ubisoft previously said it would be present at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

However, Ubisoft now clarified in a statement towards VGC that it would “move in a different direction” and not participate in a physical form after all. Instead, the company will join many others in holding an online showcase during E3 Digital Week, which takes place before the actual convention.

“While we initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we’ve made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction, and will be holding a Ubisoft Forward Live event on 12th June in Los Angeles. We look forward to sharing more details with our players very soon,” VGC quoted a representative of Ubisoft as saying.

E3 2023 marks the convention’s return after a four year break, though with leading companies of the industry ditching an appearance on the showfloor, the event lacks any big headliners so far. ReedPop, which organizes this year’s E3, previously promised that triple-A companies and indie studios would be present, with a full line-up being revealed closer to the starting date.

With a company that has publicly committed to attend the event suddenly pulling out, though, this promise sounds a bit unconvincing at the moment.

E3 has historically been one of the year’s most important gaming events alongside Gamescom in Germany, though unlike the latter’s successful return from the enforced Covid break it seems like E3 has a tough time adapting to the new reality of the industry and its loss of status. Publishers have realized how easy it is to find an audience with digital showcases, which are completely under their own control and very accessible to everyone remotely interested in their games.