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E3's ESA Launches New iicon Conference; Participants Include Square Enix, SIE, Nintendo, More
posted on by Alex Mateo
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced on Thursday the new Interactive Innovation Conference (iicon), a conference to connect people across industries to foster interactive entertainment. Participating companies include Square Enix, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Nintendo of America, Amazon Games, Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Microsoft, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Games. The event is limited to invitees. iicon will take place at the Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas, NV on April 27-30, 2026.
iicon aims to connect "visionaries, thought leaders, and innovators," who will be able to access keynotes, discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities regarding entertainment, business, and technology. The event will also bring together companies that "converge with interactive entertainment," including film, television, music, sports, healthcare, education, and finance.
The ESA canceled the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) video game event permanently in December 2023.
In September 2023, GamesIndustry.biz reported that PAX organizer ReedPop and the ESA had parted ways by a "mutual decision" and thus ReedPop would not work on future E3 events. At the time, the ESA was still planning an E3 event for 2024, but it was not planning to return to the Los Angeles Convention Center next year. (GamesIndustry.biz is owned by Gamer Network Limited, a ReedPop company.) The ESA had previously announced that it would partner with ReedPop to bring back the in-person E3 event in June 2023, but ReedPop later announced a cancellation for both the physical and digital versions of the E3 2023.
The ESA canceled the in-person E3 2022 event in January 2022 due to health risks surrounding COVID-19. It later canceled the digital component as well. E3 2021 took place as a "reimagined" virtual event in June 2021, after canceling its in-person event in February earlier that year. The ESA canceled the physical E3 2020 event due to concerns about COVID-19. It explored a possible online version, but eventually decided not to hold an online event that year. E3 last had a physical event in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first E3 event took place in May 1995.
Sources: iicon, press release via Game Yoridori SubCul Midori Park
