The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which used to organize the E3 event, is starting a new summit called IICON 2026. This event will focus on how interactive entertainment connects with different industries.
IICON 2026 is set to take place from April 27 to April 30, 2026, at the Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas. This event will gather leaders from various fields to discuss how gaming technology can create positive changes. The main aim of the summit is to encourage teamwork and new ideas across different industries, using the rapid growth of the gaming market, which is expected to surpass $300 billion worldwide by 2026.
I was at E3 as press in 2021, the last year the event happened before it faced delays and was officially ended years later. It was a really bad time to be there, as it was entirely online, and systems given to the media weren’t working well, and it seemed like E3 was dead right then. However, it’s good to see the ESA rise from the ashes and bring a new event for entertainment.
IICON 2026 will include keynotes, discussions, and workshops, offering attendees a chance to network with executives from various industries. It’s a huge change from E3 by focusing on business innovation, expanding audiences, and generating revenue beyond just gaming. So far, eleven major companies have pledged their support: Amazon Games, Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros.
The summit will discuss various topics related to how gaming connects with different industries. This includes the growing gaming market and its impact on global sectors, new technologies like virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and using game elements in business. Those leading discussions will talk about how games contribute to storytelling across movies, TV, and music, the relationship between esports and sports technology, and how game-based learning is used in education and healthcare.
It’s like a grown-up version of E3, where the event talks about business instead of just showing off trailers and announcements. This is great since the ESA is well known and has the networking needed to bring companies together, thanks to its time doing so when E3 was around.
This looks like it will be the biggest event in gaming since E3. The big three, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, have agreed to attend and the rest on the attendee list are the biggest names in gaming. So it is likely that many more third-party developers and publishers will fall in line.
Source: player.driven, IICON
