One year after E3 was officially discontinued, the Entertainment Software Association, ESA, is introducing a new gaming event, the Interactive Innovation Conference, or iicon. Scheduled to take place next year, April 27 to 30, 2026, at the Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas, iicon will bring together visionaries and leaders from various industries to explore the expanding role of interactive entertainment.

Unlike the later years of E3, which catered more to consumers, iicon will be an invite-only gathering designed for industry professionals to collaborate, network, and share insights. The conference will explore how gaming technology connects with and impacts other industries, including entertainment media, music, sports, healthcare, education, and finance.

The ESA president and CEO, Stanley Pierre-Louis, shared that video games have been at the forefront of technology and cultural innovation for decades. He stated that iicon will create a space for visionaries across industries to come together, connect, and reimagine what is possible through interactive entertainment.

Big names like Amazon Games, Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Games have already signed on to take part. With such powerhouse companies involved, the event will feature high-level discussions, presentations, and collaborative opportunities that extend beyond just the gaming sector.

The last official E3 event took place in 2021, and despite efforts to revive it in the following years, the event was ultimately discontinued in late 2023. While E3 was once the premiere gaming showcase, the rise of digital events like Summer Game Fest and publisher-specific showcases made large-scale gaming expos less essential. However, ESA’s introduction of iicon shows that there is still a place for an industry-focused gaming event that prioritizes business innovation over game announcements.

iicon 2026 will feature keynote presentations, workshops, and panel discussions rather than game reveals. Topics will include the rapid growth of the gaming market, emerging technologies like AI, virtual and augmented reality, and their applications across industries, the intersection of gaming with film, television, and music, esports’ influence on traditional sports and sports technology, and game-based learning in education and healthcare.

iicon will be a hub for business leaders, innovators, and creatives to meet, share ideas, and explore new opportunities in interactive entertainment.

The gaming industry is entering a new era of collaboration with other sectors, and iicon is at the forefront of this change. By bringing together professionals from various industries, the ESA is positioning iicon as a key gaming event for those interested in the evolving landscape of interactive entertainment. As more companies confirm their attendance, iicon 2026 is shaping up to be a major milestone for gaming and cross-industry partnerships. Whether iicon will have the same lasting impact as E3 is yet to be seen, but it’s clear that the gaming industry is evolving into a more interconnected space.