Ubisoft has become the latest company to withdraw from the first in-person E3 in four years, and will instead host its own event at around the same time. In a statement to VGC, a Ubisoft spokesperson said:
“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.”
Before this week, Ubisoft was one of the few major publishers to support the revamped E3. However, its withdrawal from the event, particularly less than three months before the show is set to return on June 13th, raises serious questions about its near and long-term prospects.
Microsoft announced earlier this month that it would not have a presence on the E3 show floor. Nintendo, meanwhile, confirmed that it would not attend the event at all. Sony has yet to state whether it will be at E3 2023, but based on its recent attendance record, the company is likely to be a no-show at this year’s conference.