E3 2023 dates have officially been confirmed, taking place from Tuesday, June 13 to Friday, June 16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center next year. After three years of difficulty, with both E3 2020 and E3 2022 being canceled and E3 2021 being an online-only show, the iconic gaming expo is finally set to be an in-person event once more — with a few changes.
Partnering with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), E3 2023 will be run by events company ReedPop, known for heading popular gaming expos such as EGX 2022 (where Laptop Mag got to test out Sonic Frontiers and Street Fighter 6), PAX East and PAX West, New York Comic Con, and many more.
While E3 is known to bring the business and consumer sides of gaming together during the event, E3 2023 will be split into two shows: E3 Business Days and E3 Gamer Days. The Business Days will take place from June 13 until June 15, and will focus on media and professionals in the industry. Gamer Days will kick off on June 15 and close out the event on June 16. This is where gamers will get the chance to "go hands-on with the future of gaming," connecting with developers and more.
We're back! 👾#E32023 will take place in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center— with new partner ReedPop (the folks behind @PAX!)Learn more: https://t.co/p9QUmBtkBu pic.twitter.com/MdW00QekegJuly 7, 2022
There is an overlap between the two on June 15, meaning businesses and consumers may have a chance to mingle.
Before E3 2023 kicks off, there will also be "Partnered Showcases" beginning on June 11, which will be a selection of digital events and announcements.
A return to E3
The massive gaming conference has been on thin ice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It first canceled an event in 2020 in light of the pandemic and remained a digital-only event in E3 2021. Then, it was canceled again in 2022.
Gaming publishers have opted to host their own digital events instead, including PlayStation's State of Play and the PlayStation Showcase 2021, along with the Nintendo Direct events and the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase. These digital events have seen a rise in success, but ReedPop hopes to "restore E3's role as a truly magical global showcase event."
“E3 is one of the global gaming industry’s few opportunities to come together, unite as one loud voice, and show the world what it is creating," said Kyle Marsden-Kish, ReedPop's VP of gaming. "Our vision is to reunite the industry by re-establishing the traditional E3 week, bring back that spark, and restore E3's role as a truly magical global showcase event for game creators and consumers."
We're happy to see E3 2023 returning to form, and we hope there won't be any hiccups during the lead-up to the comeback of the iconic gaming expo. While we wait, check out what's on the horizon, including God of War Ragnarök, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and The Callisto Protocol.
