New E3 organizer ReedPop has confirmed when E3 2023 dates will fall, as well as how the event will work on a broad level. Intriguingly, E3 2023 will have separate dates and spaces for consumers and industry professionals, and it's all kicking off on June 11th.
When are the E3 2023 dates?
Earlier this year, we learned that E3 2023 would be taken over by PAX organizer ReedPop, and now, we know exactly when the E3 2023 dates will fall. The first in-person E3 since 2019 will begin on June 11th with what ReedPop is calling "partnered digital events", with the full physical show starting on June 13th and running until June 16th next year.
Within that time frame, business events, which will be open to "registered industry personnel" and media, will take place between June 13th and June 15th. After that, two "E3 Gamer Days" will be held on June 15th and 16th, and these will be opportunities for consumers to "go hands-on with the future of gaming" and talk to devs, media people, content creators, and others.
As pointed out by Kotaku founder Brian Crecente on Twitter, it's understood that Summer Game Fest organizer Geoff Keighley is no longer attached to E3, which means that we don't yet know who's fronting the show. We'll have to wait and see what ReedPop announces closer to the time.
What's the significance of next year's E3?
The last in-person E3 event was back in 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic struck. That pandemic caused E3 to cancel its 2020 event and to move to an online-only event for 2021. The future of E3 was in doubt when the presentation was canceled again last year, but it was subsequently confirmed earlier this year that E3 2023 will go ahead with ReedPop as its organizer.
Of course, a physical E3 enters a landscape that looks very different to the one it left behind in 2019. Companies have been re-evaluating their relationship with big events like E3, often choosing to reveal games and announcements at their own showcases instead (as is the case with PlayStation's State of Play or the Nintendo Direct series).
Events like Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest (which is also set to return in June 2023) have sprung up in E3's wake, too, so the show has its work cut out for it in re-establishing relevance in a changing world. We'll have to see if it can achieve that when the event kicks off in June next year. Stay tuned to TechRaptor for more info on E3 2023.
