The Entertainment Software Association said the new gaming event will replace E3, which was permanently cancelled in 2023.

The new event’s name is a red flag that someone who was dropped on their head as a baby and could only talk in management buzzwords is in charge. It will be called iicon (short for "interactive innovation conference") get it? Of course the fact a con is a confidence trick in English does not seem to have occurred to them.

The event itself does not seem to have changed too much. Many of the same major gaming companies that once participated in E3.  

Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Disney, EA, Epic Games, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Amazon Games and Warner Bros. Games are all named participants."

Readers of a nervous disposition might want to get a sick bucket before reading further.

The announcements on social media promote iicon attendees as being for "visionaries," "changemakers" and "innovators."

If that's the case, this won't really be a replacement for the heyday of E3, when studios big and small showcased their upcoming projects and dropped internet-breaking surprises. Instead, the inaugural event in April 2026 sounds like it will focus more on moving the needle, brand alignments, kicking the ball running, asking who moved cheese and synergies.

No idea how that will be targeting Halo and Counterstrike players.