After years of COVID-inflicted cancellations and half-measures, E3 was supposed to return this year courtesy of PAX producer ReedPop, but the fate of the show feels increasingly uncertain. We’ve already heard that this year’s E3 won’t feature the big-three console makers, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, and now it seems Ubisoft has pulled out. This is significant, as Ubisoft was one of the few major publishers to commit to attending E3 this year. According to a statement provided to Video Games Chronicle, Ubisoft will instead by holding their own event in the Los Angeles area.
“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 12th June in Los Angeles. We look forward to sharing more details with our players very soon.”
The newly-revamped E3, which will offer separate days and show floors for media and fans, was announced back in July of last year, with the new organizers promising “a week of titanic AAA reveals, earth-shaking world premieres, and exclusive access to the future of video games.” They also promised the show would welcome back “publishers, developers, journalists, content creators, manufacturers, buyers, and licensors” but those publishers haven’t exactly lined up to support the event. Will this year’s E3 still go ahead? Probably, but it seems unlikely to be the must-attend event it once was.
As for what we can expect from the standalone Ubisoft Forward event, little has been revealed officially, but it’s rumored both Assassin’s Creed Mirage and The Crew Motorfest have been delayed out of this year. That would leave Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as their only major release for this years. Of course, as with all rumors, take this with a grain of salt for now.
This year’s E3 runs from June 13 to June 16. Are you still intrigued about the show might bring? Or does it seem destined to disappoint?
