Nintendo confirms it won’t be part of E3 2023

Nintendo has confirmed to The Verge that it will not be attending E3 2023.

“We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans,” the company said in a statement. “Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA and E3.”

Nintendo’s participation had been in doubt since IGN reported that it, Sony, and Microsoft would all be skipping E3, and now we know for certain that Nintendo won’t be at the show. E3 is set to take place in-person from June 13th through 16th in Los Angeles, which is just over a month after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so Nintendo may be skipping E3 in part to keep the focus on that flagship $70 title.

“Although Nintendo will not exhibit at E3 2023, we are energized by the interest in what ReedPop’s Remastered E3 will look like,” Lance Festerman, president of E3 organizer ReedPop, said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing news soon about our exhibitors and all the exciting things taking place.”

Last week, the Festerman confirmed to The Verge that the show was “full speed ahead” despite comments from Ubisoft’s CEO suggesting it might not be. This week, Ubisoft confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that it would be attending the event.

But that’s not the only big gaming event of the month: Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest will be back, too, taking place on June 8th. Microsoft has said it will be doing a showcase in Los Angeles this summer, though it hasn’t specifically confirmed it will be a part of E3. We’ve asked Nintendo if it is planning a showcase of some kind despite not attending E3 itself.

Update February 24th, 12:55PM ET: Added statement from ReedPop.