With the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) finally announced as a physical event this year, many fans are excited to visit one of the major gaming expo that showcases the latest upcoming video games technological advances in the gaming sector.

Unfortunately, three major competitors in the gaming market, Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo, will not be a part of this year’s E3 or, at the very least, will not have a physical presence at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

According to an exclusive from IGN, several knowledgeable sources have informed that the three gaming giants will not be a part of the upcoming E3 2023 in June.

Following Xbox’s previous week’s news that it will be returning to Los Angeles for its annual summer showcase, the company refused to clarify whether it would be participating in the show itself.

Xbox put up booths in the nearby Microsoft Stadium rather than the conference center itself for the most recent E3 in 2019. Traditionally, Xbox has attended almost all the E3 events and with release of many big title, fans were sure that the company will be present at E3 2023.

In contrast, Sony had not participated in an E3 since 2019 and refused to participate in 2020, 2021, and 2022 before it was canceled. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Sony has lately opted to use their State of Play website to make game announcements rather to formal gatherings.

Nintendo had a show on the floor among the three during the 2019 E3, even though the company is also invested in the “Direct” format, where developers spoke to customers directly in live scripted films.

Industry analyst, Piers Harding-Rolls, said, “It’s unfortunate that the physical event returns when Nintendo is at the tail end of the Switch lifecycle, with no sign of a next-gen device this year. I’m unsure if it will have many games to show this year, so it makes sense to skip.”