This story was updated at 19:33 BST.
Ubisoft is no longer attending this year’s physical E3 event, VGC understands.
Last monththeAssassin’s Creedpublisher became the first major company to publicly commit to attending the revamped E3, which is due to take place in June at its traditional venue of the Los Angeles Convention Center.
However, in a statement issued to VGC, the company said it has now decided to “move in a different direction” and will instead be holding its ownUbisoftForward Live event on June 12 in Los Angeles.
“E3 has fostered unforgettable moments across the industry throughout the years,” a spokesperson told VGC.
“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.”
E3 organiser ReedPop did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
E3 2023 – the flagship industry event’s first physical show in four years – is due to run from Tuesday, June 13 and has been taken over from theEntertainment Software Associationby ReedPop, the media and events company behind PAX, EGX and Star Wars Celebration.
Under the revamped format, the first two days of E3 2023 (June 13-14) will be reserved exclusively for business, while the remaining days will include consumer visitors.
However, Ubisoft’s decision to step away from E3 2023 means that, with three months to go, no major company has been announced as officially attending.
The fact that the company had previously committed to attending also raises serious questions about the line-up for the revamped show.
Ubisoft has historically been a staunch supporter of E3, and CEOYves Guillemothadexpressed supportfor the 2023 plans.
NintendoandXboxhave already confirmed they will be skipping this year’s event. However, the latter will have some form of presence in LA during the same window.
Inan update published earlier this month, E3’s new organiser ReedPop claimed that unnamed “AAA companies, in addition to indie darlings and tech and hardware firms” had committed to “making their return” to the LACC.
“The full roster of exhibitors will be announced in the leadup to the expo, providing participating companies the opportunity to make their own individual announcements beforehand,” it said in a statement.
E3 2023’s “Digital Week” kicks off on Sunday, June 11, with outside digital events including ThePC GamingShow, Future Games Show, Guerilla Collective, and Black Voices in Gaming falling under this banner.
As well as running high-profile events in the US and Europe, ReedPop is the owner of Gamer Network, which runs websites such as Eurogamer,GamesIndustry.biz, VG247 and Rock Paper Shotgun, and is the network partner of VGC.
