Ubisoft Announces Forward Live Event, Latest Company to Withdraw from E3 2023

[T0@st]

Ubisoft has reversed its February decision to be a presence at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, instead it will be holding a separate event in the city with coincidental timing. Ubisoft spokesperson Heather Haefner yesterday provided a statement to The Verge: "E3 has fostered unforgettable moments across the industry throughout the years. 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 June 12 in Los Angeles. We look forward to sharing more details with our players very soon."

Ubisoft had previously confirmed its attendance in a statement to Games Industry.biz earlier this year: "E3 is a special moment for our industry and we are excited to showcase our strong line-up in Los Angeles in June. We are still finalizing the details of our plans and look forward to sharing more soon." CEO Yves Guillemot has also hinted in the recent past that he wanted the company to attend E3 2023, but this was prior to the whole event being given the go ahead by co-organizers Entertainment Software Association and ReedPOP. E3 2023 is set to be the first in-person Electronic Entertainment Expo event held since 2019.



Ubisoft's sudden decision to withdraw from E3 2023 and curate its own separate event is yet another high profile loss for ReedPOP and the ESA. Microsoft and Nintendo have already confirmed that they will not be showcasing at E3. Sony has yet to make a decision and announcement regarding PlayStation being in attendance at this year's E3. Ubisoft's newly formed plan copies a similar move made by Microsoft - their Xbox Games Showcase will take place on June 11 in Los Angeles. It has been alleged that E3 2023 was already on rocky ground following the non-attendance of several big names, and Ubisoft's exit has prompted an increase in rumors of the whole thing being called off in the coming week.



Ubisoft Forward is back for 2023! Tune in at Ubisoft.com this June 12 for the latest game updates, news, and reveals from Ubisoft, live and in-person from Los Angeles. Stay tuned for further details on the show, including the line-up, how and where to watch, and post-show details, on our Ubisoft Forward News page.

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[ZoneDymo]

E3 was from a different (better) time, now we move on.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Ubisoft's spokesperson's name is Heather Haefner.

I freely admit that I am immature enough to find that funny.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Chickens lol
But who wants to go to los angeles anyway it's scarier than holiweird

 

[Metroid]

The issue about E3 is the price they charge for, also companies have to pay a lot of money for stands/places, to minimize costs better to just make your own live and tell about your products. The only thing that matters is the end cost for consumers, less expenses less abusive pricing.

 

[ZoneDymo]

Hi,
Chickens lol
But who wants to go to los angeles anyway it's scarier than holiweird

What is scary about it?

 

[cvaldes]

Hollywood doesn't have the conference facilities to host a show the size of E3. And E3 got its start at the LACC in the mid Nineties so it's really a homecoming.

Back in the Nineties, video game development was much more heavily concentrated on the West Coast (particularly the SF Bay Area and Los Angeles) and in Japan so convening in Los Angeles made much more sense from a travel standpoint. Today video game development is much more spread out globally but that wasn't the case thirty years ago.

Most of the CG technical talent got started on the West Coast in the film industry (ILM, PDI, Digital Domain, etc.).