Xbox Pledges Support For 'iicon', A New Industry Event From The Organiser Of E3

The Entertainment Software Association, also known as the ESA, has announced 'iicon' - a new event that aims to "connect visionaries, thought leaders and innovators from across industries to harness the power of interactive entertainment".

This is the same organisation that put together E3, gaming's central summer convention in Los Angeles. Of course, that convention was finally put to bed in 2023, when the ESA expressed "the time has come to say goodbye" to E3.

While this event sounds more industry-focused than anything that involves much fan participation, some good news for us is that Microsoft has pledged support for the convention. Here's what Xbox president Sarah Bond had to say on Microsoft taking part:

"At Xbox, our mission is to bring the joy of gaming to players anywhere they want, while creating opportunities for the amazing creators behind them,

We appreciate the ESA establishing iicon as a platform to deepen connections among executives and thought leaders from within gaming, and from a wide range of partner industries. Together, we will collaborate, invent and create – and together we will all grow."

We don't know if iicon will have any sort of public-facing livestream show just yet, but the inaugural event is set to take place April 27-30, 2026, at the Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas.

Thoughts on iicon as it's been revealed so far? Let us know what you think down in the comments.