Sega and Tencent are not attending E3 2023

What you need to know

• According to a report from IGN, Sega and Tencent are not planning to attend E3 2023.
• This news comes right after Ubisoft, which was planning to attend E3 2023, backed out of the event, with plans to hold a Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 12, 2023. 
• Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation are also not attending E3 2023. 
• Summer Game Fest from Geoff Keighley is expected to return this year.

More publishers are confirmed not to attend E3 2023, with a reported lack of information coming from the events organizers, the ESA and ReedPop.

IGN reports that Sega and Tencent, two large publishers in the gaming industry, are now confirming that they won't be in attendance at E3 2023. 

"After careful consideration, we have decided not to participate in E3 2023 as an exhibitor," a Sega spokesperson told IGN. "We look forward to sharing more information on announced and unannounced projects in the future."

Tencent told IGN that it would not be involved in E3 2023, but that regarding Play Days, the company “found it to be an ideal experience for showcasing our games to the media.”

IGN reports that other publishers are also planning to skip E3, but have not yet made the confirmation with a public statement. This news comes as Ubisoft, the one major publisher that was signed on to attend E3 2023, pulled out of the event. Ubisoft instead will hold a Ubisoft Forward event on June 12, 2023. According to IGN, this news also comes as ReedPop president Lance Fensterman announced that he is stepping down from the company.

Multiple other publishers were asked that have not yet commented, while Bandai Namco did not comment on E3 but did confirm it would be at Play Days, the media-only physical event hosted by Geoff Keighley back in 2022. Keighley also hosts Summer Game Fest, Opening Night Live at Gamescom, and the Game Awards.

Summer Game Fest is confirmed to return in 2023. There aren't many details, but the event is currently slated to be held on June 8, 2023.

Windows Central's take

If after the Ubisoft news there was somehow any hope E3 2023 could still materialize in a meaningful way, I think it's time to put that hope down. There's no company of importance attached to help push this, and I fully expect Geoff Keighley to take advantage of that. I'll just end with this tweet from Keighley, responding to the IGN report from Kat Bailey and Rebekah Valentine (both are great reporters that you should follow).