Xbox confirms it will ‘return to LA’ with a summer showcase this year

The first physical E3 event in four years is set to take place in June, alongside Summer Game Fest

Xbox has confirmed it will “return to Los Angeles” for a showcase this summer, ahead of the first physical E3 show in four years.

Summarising its Developer_Direct digital event in a blog post on Wednesday, the company wrote: “As we announced previously, in order to dedicate the proper amount of time for a deep dive into Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield, a standalone show is in the works.

“In addition to this, our teams are working hard and look forward to sharing even more of what is next for our fans when we return to Los Angeles for our yearly Showcase this summer.”

After a four-year break, a physical E3 show is set to be held in June at its traditional venue of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Just days before the revamped E3 returns, Summer Game Fest, the digital showcase helmed by journalist Geoff Keighley, will hold a live show at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California.

Neither E3 nor Summer Game Fest have yet announced which publishers will attend their events, but Xbox’s announcement suggests it will likely have a presence in LA during the same window.

Billing itself as the “global fan celebration of what’s next in video games”, Summer Game Fest will return for its fourth year with a live kick-off show on Thursday, June 8, 2023 – less than a week before E3.

Details for E3’s revamped 2023 format, which will see separate business and consumer events split between four days in June, were revealed late last year.

E3 2023 will officially run from Tuesday, June 13, until Friday, June 16, according to organiser ReedPop, which has taken over the running of the flagship industry event from the Entertainment Software Association.

Under the revamped format, the first two days of E3 2023 (June 13-14) will be reserved exclusively for business. The third day (June 15) will welcome both business and consumer visitors, while the final day (June 16) will be dedicated to consumers.