Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley openly mocks E3 2023 after Nintendo confirms it has no plans for the show, joking about the Big N skipping out and calling into question whether E3 will happen or not.As many will no doubt recall, E3 used to be *the* yearly event for major studios, publishers, and brands to show off their games, hardware, and more. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had started to suffer when major brands like Sony would outright skip it, and it has not done as well since the pandemic began. E3 2020 was canceled, E3 2021 held a digital-only event that didn't land well with fans, and E3 2022 was confirmed just to be canceled some months later. E3 2023 is currently confirmed to take place between June 13 and June 16, beginning a few days after Keighley's own Summer Game Fest.Nintendo recently announced plans not to participate in E3, citing its event attendance is done on a case-by-case basis and that this year's E3 show didn't fit into its plans. Nintendo also stated that it is still a strong supporter of ESA and E3. Keighley shared this information in a recent tweet he opened with "Let's (Not Go), a phrase synonymous with the Mario franchise, and specifically said it would not play any role in the "potential" E3 2023. The word choice makes this some very obvious shade coming from the E3 competitor.
Keighley is alluding to the possibility of E3 2023 being canceled, which is an undeniable prospect, but not a hard case. E3 2022 was rumored to be canceled for months ahead of its eventual cancelation in March 2022. Such rumors are not currently prominent for the event, while in fact, Ubisoft has confirmed it will be there and Konami is rumored to have big announcements for E3. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo may not be there, but the ESA is confident in the organizer, ReedPOP, which typically organizes PAX and Comic-Con.
Of course, anything could still happen and some enjoy Keighley's glibness toward his competitor, but other comments questioned the professionalism of saying anything at all. For many, E3 will always have a special place in their hearts, regardless of its present and future, and Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards are certainly welcome in the space too.
E3 2023 is currently scheduled for June 13-16.