Nintendo officially confirms it will not attend E3 2023

Nintendo has officially confirmed that it will not be attending E3 2023, following a report by IGN and speculation earlier this year.

In a statement provided to VentureBeat, Nintendo said: “We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans. Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA and E3.”

It was previously speculated that Nintendo was poised to drop out of the conference due to a light release schedule for the second half of 2023, prompting some outlets to predict that the company would soon be transitioning to its next console.

Nintendo has not held a major E3 conference for over a decade, and it now favours its own Nintendo Direct broadcasts to convey any big gaming announcements. It last had a showfloor presence at E3 in 2019, and it held a virtual direct during the 2021 edition of the event.

This comes after IGN reported that none of the big three game publishers – Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft – would be at this year’s E3, a major blow as organisers attempt to revive the event. Neither Sony nor Microsoft have officially confirmed their absences, although neither are expected to attend as they too tend to favour their own events and digital broadcasts.

In a statement issued at the time of IGN’s initial report, E3 organiser Reedpop said: “We have received a tremendous amount of interest and verbal commitments from many of the biggest companies in the industry, and when we are ready to announce the exhibitors, we are confident it will be a line-up that will make the trip to Los Angeles well worth it for the industry and consumers alike.”

Ubisoft has confirmed that it will be attending the show, and promised to unveil a “strong line-up”, but many other publishers are unwilling to fully commit to attending.

E3 is to take place in Los Angeles between 13-16 June.