Microsoft confirms it will not be attending E3 2023

After weeks of rumours, Microsoft has confirmed that it will not be at the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3 2023. In a statement sent to IGN, a Microsoft spokesperson said:

We can't wait to host our Xbox Games Showcase on 11 June and will have more details to share later. We're also looking forward to hosting our event as part of the E3 Digital Expo and will not be present at the E3 Showcase.

This will come as a huge blow to the long-running video game trade show, which is holding an offline event for the first time since 2019 due to the massive popularity of its new titles. Nintendo has confirmed that it will not be attending E3 2023. Sony, the other major console company, has not confirmed any E3 plans, but it has not attended the show since 2018 and that is not expected to change.

Microsoft has mentioned that its Xbox Games Showcase online event on 11 June will be "co-located" with the E3 2023 Digital Week event, suggesting at least some sort of partnership between Microsoft and E3 organisers ReedPop. However, if Microsoft doesn't actually show up at the show, we'd suspect that the relationship with E3 is pretty minor.

For its part, ReedPop has slowly begun to reveal its plans for E3 2023. According to ReedPop's Gamesindustry.biz, the show will be open to members of the games industry and media from 13 to 15 June in the West and South Halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The show will be open to the general public from June 15-16 in the South Hall. ReedPop has not yet announced the list of attendees for the E3 show floor.

As previously mentioned, E3 2023 Digital Week will kick off on 11 June and run throughout E3 week with streaming demos including PC Gaming Expo, Future Games Expo, Guerilla Collective and Black Voices in Gaming. In the days leading up to E3 2023, the Summer Games Festival 2023 will stream its own show on 8 June at the YouTube Theatre in Los Angeles, featuring a number of major game reveals.

Source: IGN