E3 Organizers Announce Return With A New First-Of-Its-Kind Gaming Event

No one would blame you if you didn't realize that the entity behind the defunct E3 gaming expo—Entertainment Software Association, or ESA—still exists. The group is back with a new gaming event, but it's not what you might expect. Called "iicon" or Interactive Innovation Conference, this event isn't open to the public and instead is meant for industry executives to gather over a few days to huddle for "elite networking opportunities" through workshops, conferences, meetings, etc.

Even though ESA may not host the popular E3 video gaming trade expo any more, that hasn't stopped it from hatching new ideas in keeping with its "mission is to help expand and protect the innovative and creative marketplace for the video game industry here in the United States," according to the ESA website.

What we have then is a new event called iicon (Interactive Innovation Conference) that will be held from April 27-30, 2026 in Las Vegas. Unlike E3 (as well as similar events like PAX or TwitchCon), iicon isn't open to us plebeians, but rather, to titans of various industries, including "visionaries, thought leaders, and innovators" are expected gather under one roof where they will have "exclusive access to visionary keynotes, engaging discussions and workshops, and elite networking opportunities with executives shaping the future of entertainment, business and technology."

Imagine executives from big names like Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, and Ubisoft (to name a few) huddled in a room somewhere discussing things like gaming technology, development, or AI (please, no)—it'll be pretty interesting to see what transpires and ultimately benefit their employees (since studios have become rather infamous for shafting teams indiscriminately) and/or gamers. Hype is high, though, with ESA calling this a "game-changing summit" and "first-of-its-kind" event.

Moreover, iicon intends on incorporation those from within the film, television, music, sports, healthcare, education, and finance industries to collaborate with game creators in order to create, as Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA CEO, puts it, "a space for visionaries across industries to come together, connect and reimagine what's possible through interactive entertainment."

Of course, any event like this lives and dies by interest from its attendees. For instance, E3's burning star slowly died out as an increasing number of big studios skipped out each year. Likewise, the success of iicon will depend on relevant companies (and their "icons") showing up in the first place.