Ubisoft Backs Out of E3 2023 After Previously Committing to the Show

Ubisoft is no longer attending E3 2023 and will instead host its own Ubisoft Forward Live event on June 12. The gaming publisher giant confirmed its decision to back out in a statement sent to VGC. Ubisoft, which committed to some sort of presence at E3 2023 last month, didn’t share specifics regarding its change of heart, simply saying that it has “decided to move in a different direction.” Its statement is a low blow to E3 2023 organizer ReedPop and comes as yet another signal that the conference’s time may finally be coming to an end.

“E3 has fostered unforgettable moments across the industry throughout the years,” stated Ubisoft. “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 reached out to ReedPop but has not received a response.

With Ubisoft’s exit, E3 2023 is left with no partnerships announced with any of the major publishers. That includes PlayStation, which hasn’t attended the show since 2018, as well as Xbox and Nintendo, which have both confirmed they won’t be officially associating with the convention this year. ReedPop claimed earlier this month that some “AAA companies, in addition to indie darlings and tech and hardware firms” will attend E3 2023 but has yet to disclose which companies and developers it is referring to.

E3 2023 will return this year from June 13 to June 16 with a shake-up to the usual schedule that features separate E3 Business Days (13 – 15) and E3 Gamer Days (15 – 16). It’s a move that splits industry members from the general population, but judging by today’s news, the change might be arriving too late. The gaming convention was already seeing a downward trend in popularity in 2019, so when COVID-19 lockdown measures went into effect in 2020, E3 took a huge blow. Although a digital showcase was held in 2021, E3 2022 was canceled altogether. Time will tell if the once-great gaming showcase will ever be able to return to its former glory.