Former E3 Organizer ESA Announces New Gaming Conference

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), known for organizing the E3 event, has revealed plans to host a gathering called the Interactive Innovation Conference (iicon) set to take place in Las Vegas from April 27th to 30th, 2026.

The iicon website promises that the event will bring together “visionaries, thought leaders and innovators” across various sectors of interactive entertainment.

This conference will not only focus on the gaming industry but will also include professionals from industries such as film, television, music, sports, healthcare, education, and finance. The claimed iicon’s goal, according to its site, is to foster collaboration and explore how interactive entertainment can influence and intersect with these diverse fields.

Among the announced participants of iicon are Nintendo of America, Microsoft, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Square Enix, Warner Bros. Games, and Disney. 

E3 was first launched back in 1995 and quickly became the go-to gaming event of the year. It was functioning for over two decades till the pandemic in 2020 forced the event to go virtual, which was a major shift. Virtual events didn’t carry the same sense of excitement or media impact as the in-person conferences did, and E3 started losing its cultural relevance.

At the same time, events like The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest and other digital showcases became more important for game announcements. E3’s crown as the “center of the gaming world” started to fade as new, more engaging formats emerged.

By 2023, publishers, including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, concluded they could host their own events (like Nintendo Direct or Sony’s State of Play), often generating more buzz and engagement by directly targeting their fans. Even though an in-person E3 event was initially planned for 2023, however, it was ultimately canceled after Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all declined to attend, which led to the closure announcement.