Ubisoft clears up E3 attendance confusion
You shall go to the hall.
Ubisoft has now confirmed it will attend E3 this year, following confusing comments made by the company's boss Yves Guillemot last week.
When questioned whether Ubisoft would be at E3 this year, Guillemot raised eyebrows by telling investors his company would be there "if E3 happens".
Ubisoft has now confirmed in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz that it will be in attendance with a "strong line-up" at E3 - which is being run for the first time this year by Eurogamer parent company Reedpop.
"If E3 happens, we will be there and we will have a lot of things to show," Guillemot had said - prompting a response from Reedpop boss Lance Fensterman that the show was indeed going ahead.
"E3 is full speed ahead and we are pleased with the progress and engagement from the community," Fensterman said in a statement. "As we have confirmed exhibitors we are eager to share more as details get cemented and participants ready their own detailed plans. In other parts of the ReedPop gaming portfolio we rarely release participants until close to the event but now will adjust our style to the E3 way as we can."
Last month, IGN reported that the industry's big three console platform holders would not return to E3 this year. Sony has not been a formal part of E3 for several years prior to the event being put on hold over the Covid pandemic. Microsoft has reportedly had to cut event budgets, as the company undergoes a large round of layoffs. Nintendo, meanwhile, will have released Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - its tentpole game launch for 2023 - in advance of E3 2023 in June.
Ubisoft is the first major publisher to confirm its attendance at the show this year. While it did not name what it would bring, it's likely we'll see more of the Baghdad-set Assassin's Creed Mirage, which is due out later this year.