E3 organiser ESA launches new event called ‘iicon’
The Interactive Innovation Conference has support from Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony and others
The former organiser of E3 has announced a new event designed to bring together the industry’s largest companies.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced the Interactive Innovation Conference, or ‘iicon’ for short – a “thought leader summit” designed to “connect visionaries, thought leaders and innovators from across industries to harness the power of interactive entertainment”.
The conference will take place in Las Vegas between April 27-30 next year, and already has support from numerous major companies.
According to the ESA, the event will be attended by leaders from Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, Amazon Games, Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Games among others.
The ESA says the event will be an opportunity for attendees to gain “exclusive access to visionary keynotes, engaging discussions and workshops, and elite networking opportunities with executives shaping the future of entertainment, business and technology”.
As well as video game companies, the aim is to also include representatives from other industries such as film, TV, music, sports, healthcare, education and finance, in an attempt to find ways for interactive media and these other sectors to converge.
Introducing iicon: where visionaries and innovators from the video game industry and beyond converge to unlock the limitless potential of interactive entertainment. @theESA is convening the first-of-its kind summit. Follow us and learn more: https://t.co/mhqZqIVpX0. pic.twitter.com/BVNoApEGmy
— iicon (@IICONOfficial) February 6, 2025
“The Entertainment Software Association and its member companies are among the innovators and leaders shaping the future of culture, business and human connection,” ESA chairman of the board Doug Bowser said in a statement.
“It’s a natural role for ESA to host and support an event that fosters an open exchange of new ideas with our peer industry leaders. iicon is bringing together changemakers from across industries to envision how the strengths of the interactive entertainment industry can break entirely new ground.”
While the ESA previously organised E3 every year, iicon doesn’t appear to be an attempt to replace it. Attendance is by invitation only, and the event appears focused more on networking and brainstorming than an opportunity to announce new products.
The ESA confirmed in December 2023 that E3 was officially dead, following years of uncertainty. The last public E3 took place in 2019, with the 2020 event cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An online E3 was held in 2021, but subsequent cancellations in 2022 and 2023, along with the introduction of Summer Game Fest in 2020 as a viable competitor, led to its eventual demise.
