It looks like this year’s E3 is going to feel emptier than usual, as Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox will not take part in the event. While we’ve seen the event carry on without one or two of the big three, not having any of them could make the show feel almost redundant.
According to , numerous sources have revealed that the three major gaming companies won’t have a presence at the annual trade show. This has seemingly been confirmed by Microsoft as the company announced a separate Xbox summer showcase for their games. Nintendo and PlayStation have yet to confirm if they will completely skip the show.
Though Xbox’s Phil Spencer still has good things to say about E3, it seems that their showcase is going to take priority. Xbox won’t just be skipping the show, they won’t have a booth there either. Nintendo and PlayStation might also not have booths, which isn’t saying much since both companies have missed the show in recent years.
Prior to the news, Nintendo has made their Direct videos a must-see event in recent years. They usually compensated by having a Treehouse presentation in E3 but that doesn’t appear to be happening this year.
Sony’s PlayStation brand has missed the last few years, adopting a similar approach to Nintendo with their State of Play showcase videos. It’s an odd move since the company has had some stellar moments in E3 but things do change.
Xbox not taking part in E3 is the biggest shocker since the company has made this event its home in recent years. Many gamers looked forward to the Xbox shows since they would showcase third-party games, in addition to the company’s exclusives.
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Hopefully, E3 has something big in mind to make up for the absences of these companies. Studios like Square Enix and Ubisoft could still make big announcements in the show, especially with new titles in the Final Fantasy and Assassin’s Creed franchises coming soon.