This story was updated at 19:33 GMT.
Ubisoft is no longer attending this year’s physical E3 event, VGC understands.
Last month The Assassin’s Creed publisher has become the first major company to publicly commit to attending the revamped E3 show, which is set to take place in June at its traditional venue the Los Angeles Convention Center.
However, in a statement released to VGC, the company said it has now decided to “move in a different direction” and will instead hold its own Ubisoft Forward Live event on June 12 in Los Angeles.
Forza Motorsport – Developer_Direct, courtesy of Xbox and Bethesda
“E3 has fostered memorable moments across the industry over the years,” said a VGC spokesperson.
“While we initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we have made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction, and we will be holding a Ubisoft Forward Live event on June 12th in Los Angeles. We look forward to sharing more details with our players very soon.”
ReedPop, the organizer of E3, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
E3 2023 — the first physical showing of the leading industry event in four years — is set to begin Tuesday, June 13, and has been taken over from the Entertainment Software Association by 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 expansion days will include consumer visitors.
However, Ubisoft’s decision to walk away from E3 2023 means that with three months to go, no major companies have officially announced their attendance.
The fact that the company previously committed to attending raises serious questions about the lineup of the revamped show.
Ubisoft has long been a strong supporter of E3, and CEO Yves Guillemot has expressed support for plans for 2023.
Nintendo and Xbox have already confirmed that they will be skipping this year’s event. However, the latter will have some form of presence in Los Angeles during the same window.
In an update published earlier this month, new E3 organizer ReedPop claimed that “unnamed AAA companies, as well as independent technology and hardware companies” have committed to “returning” to the LACC.
“The full list of exhibitors will be announced in the run-up to the show, giving participating companies the opportunity to make their own individual announcements in advance,” it said in a statement.
E3 2023’s “Digital Week” kicks off on Sunday, June 11, with outdoor digital events including the PC Gaming Showcase, Future Games Showcase, Guerilla Collective, and Black Voices in Gaming falling under that banner.
In addition to running high profile events in the US and Europe, ReedPop is the owner of Gamer Network, which operates websites such as Eurogamer, GamesIndustry.bizVG247 and Rock Paper Shotgun, which is a partner of VGC Network.