E3 2023 may not be a very populated event at this rate, as another major publisher has canceled its plans for the event. While it had confirmed a showcase at the Los Angeles-set expo with a "strong line-up" just last month, Ubisoft will now be skipping out.
“E3 has fostered unforgettable moments across the industry throughout the years,” Ubisoft had said to Video Games Chronicle in a statement. "While we initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we’ve made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction."
This different direction will be another Ubisoft Forward event, which the company has been hosting since 2020 to spotlight its upcoming games in the absence of E3. Much like Xbox, the publisher will still be hosting its Forward event during "E3 week", with it planned to kick off on June 12. More information on what fans can expect from the presentation will be announced later.
Following two years of canceled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Entertainment Software Association announced last year its intentions to return to the spotlight in 2023 with an in-person and a digital event. However, almost all heavy-hitter games publishers have bowed out of the gaming trade show, including Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and now, Ubisoft, in favor of independent showcases.
Source: VGC