Sony to broadcast E3 conference at theaters nationwide

By Danny Cowan Published June 9, 2016

PlayStation E3 Experience 2016 Announce

Can’t make it to Los Angeles for next month’s Electronic Entertainment Expo? Sony is set to broadcast its E3 press conference live in theaters in North America, Canada, and South America as part of its upcoming PlayStation E3 Experience event, and admission is free.

In addition to getting a first glimpse at Sony’s upcoming slate of games for the PlayStation 4, event attendees will take home limited edition merchandise and collectible goods that are only available via the PlayStation E3 Experience. Tickets for the event are available starting today at Sony’s official website.

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This year marks the third annual PlayStation E3 Experience event, continuing a tradition that Sony initially started as a fan-oriented experiment.

“In 2014, we had this crazy idea to partner with Fathom Events and broadcast our E3 Press Conference live to some theaters North America, not knowing if this was something people would even be interested in attending,” Sony’s Michael Steranka recalls. “Two years later, and we’ve had to more than double our seating capacity to accommodate everybody!”

PlayStation E3 Experience attendees will see an HD simulcast of Sony’s E3 2016 press conference, where the company is expected to reveal details regarding its PlayStation VR headset and rumored “NEO” console hardware upgrade. The event will also be streamed live via Twitch.

Fans present at the PlayStation E3 Experience can grab free posters, collectible trading cards, and a commemorative drinking glass. Sony is additionally serving up a free “digital gift basket” for attendees, noting that its contents will be announced at a later date.

“There’s just something special about watching the news and excitement of E3 together with fellow PlayStation fans that makes this an event I look forward to every year,” Steranka said. “Between the loud cheers that, honestly, probably ruin movies for people in adjacent theaters (sorry not sorry), and the camaraderie felt in the air from being surrounded by the PlayStation Nation, there’s no better way to experience E3.”

Over 85 movie theaters across 48 states will participate in the PlayStation E3 Experience. Select theaters in Canada will host the event in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. The PlayStation E3 Experience will kick off on Monday, June 13.

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Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft

Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimed the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

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Summer Game Fest returns just before E3 2023 next June

The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

Geoff Keighley has confirmed when Summer Game Fest will return in June 2023. It will begin with a live kickoff show on June 8, 2023, placing Keighley's game announcement alternative less than a week before E3's grand (intended) 2023 return.
Unlike past years, Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff 2023 will feature a live audience, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards. It will take place in the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park, with tickets going on sale in early 2023. It will still be livestreamed across platforms like YouTube and Twitch, though. It's currently unknown who's participating, how long Summer Game Fest will run afterward, or if it will feature a Summer Game Fest Play Days-like element for fans. Still, Keighley says all of that info will be revealed ahead of the event next year, teasing what people can expect.
"In keeping with tradition, we'll have tons of exciting announcements from the developers that are pushing the games industry forward, and will once again highlight other publisher digital events, demos, and more surprises to be announced in the coming months," Keighley says in a press release.
That June 8 start date, and the other Summer Game Fest events likely to follow, put Keighley's show just ahead of E3 2023. The ESA and ReedPop plan to bring E3 back between June 13 and June 16, 2023. With five days of lead time on E3, Summer Game Fest can coexist with the long-running gaming conference and encompass the plethora of publisher showcases that tend to precede E3.
Geoff Keighley made it clear that he wants Summer Game Fest and E3 to coexist for a while. "We've had extensive conversations with ReedPop about E3," he said in an interview with Epic Games Store. "I think it'll kind of fit together and flow kind of from what we're doing into what they're doing and stuff. E3, to me, is this kind of master brand that represents gaming news in June."
With the start date of Summer Game Fest confirmed, the coexistence of these two summer gaming events is a reality. Summer Game Fest returns on June 8, 2023.

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E3 2023 returns in June with separate business and consumer days

E3 2023 will return as an in-person event from June 13 to June 16, 2023, as announced by ReedPop today.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) already revealed that E3 will return in 2023, but now we know exactly when the event will take place, along with several other key details. E3 will once again take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center after a four-year hiatus, but will incorporate separate days for industry professionals and general consumers.