E3 organiser announces iicon, a "first-of-its-kind" new event to connect gaming "thought leaders" - Related to announces, gaming, firaxis, incoming, e3
E3 organiser announces iicon, a "first-of-its-kind" new event to connect gaming "thought leaders"
The Entertainment Software Association - the trade organisation that represents video game developers and publishers that previously organised industry staple E3 - has launched the Interactive Innovation Conference (iicon).
The organisers say it is a "first-of-its-kind" event to "connect visionaries, thought leaders, and innovators from across industries to harness the power of interactive entertainment".
Set to take place in Las Vegas in April 2026, the event already has buy-in from a number of key industry companies, including Amazon Games, Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Games.
"Executive leaders from some of the video game industry's leading companies expressed enthusiasm for iicon as a key opportunity to drive innovation and foster collaboration across sectors," the ESA showcased.
"For decades, video games have been at the forefront of technological and cultural innovation," mentioned Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO, ESA. "With iicon, we are creating a space for visionaries across industries to come together, connect and reimagine what's possible through interactive entertainment."
The announcement comes on the heels of news Summer Gaming Fest will similarly hold a business-to-business portion this year featuring top brass from gaming and entertainment companies discussing "the key changes, challenges and opportunities facing the global video game industry" and celebrating the medium's cultural impact. This is being co-run by Chris Dring, former boss of Eurogamer sister site [website].
The iicon will be an invitation-only event held at the Fountainebleau Resort in Las Vegas from 27th-30th April, 2026.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo - or E3, as it was more commonly known as - was finally put out of its misery in December 2023 after the 2023 event was cancelled and Reedpop, owner of events such as PAX and EGX (as well as Eurogamer at the time), expressed in September it would no longer work with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) to relaunch the show.
GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.
Rockstar Games' hugely anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 is still on track to launch this.
Marvel Rivals has overcome a couple of difficulties since it was released at the end of last year. This mostly involved improving performance or sorti......
The First Twitch Stream From The International Space Station Is Happening On February 12
NASA will be hosting its first-ever Twitch stream from the International Space Station (ISS) next week. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration made the announcement via its official X (formerly Twitter) account, and shared some details on what viewers can expect from the stream.
"This Twitch event from space is the first of many," stated Brittany Brown, who directs NASA's Office of Communications Digital and Technology Division. "We spoke with digital creators at TwitchCon about their desire for streams designed with their communities in mind, and we listened. In addition to our spacewalks, launches, and landings, we’ll host more Twitch-. Twitch is one of the many digital platforms we use to reach new audiences and get them excited about all things space."
Live from space! Join our very first @Twitch stream directly from the @Space_Station on Feb. 12 to ask @Astro_Pettit about living and working in space.
We will also be joined by @DominickMatthew, who in recent times returned home from living aboard the station. [website] [website] — NASA (@NASA) February 5, 2025.
The stream itself will take place on the ISS--roughly 250 miles above Earth's surface--and will feature appearances from NASA astronauts Don Pettit (who is currently aboard the ISS) and Matt Dominick (who in recent times returned to Earth after participating in NASA's Crew-8 mission). The spacefaring duo will discuss topics like daily life aboard the ISS and the microgravity experiments currently being performed on board, while also highlighting "ways for Twitch individuals to engage with NASA, including citizen science projects and science, technology, engineering, and math programs designed to inspire the Artemis Generation."
The Artemis Generation refers to the astronauts who will explore Earth's moon as a part of NASA's Artemis Program.
"We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon," the official Artemis Program website reads. "NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the Moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before."
This isn't the first time NASA has conducted a Twitch livestream, nor is it the first time the agency has broadcast a livestream from the ISS. But , "This conversation will be the first NASA event [livestreamed] from the International Space Station developed specifically for the agency’s Twitch platform."
The stream will take place on NASA's Twitch channel on Wednesday, February 12 at 8:45 AM PT / 11:45 AM ET.
With the public launch of Windows version 24H2 last year came a security issue that was only 'resolved' this week. Those who installed Windows 11 from......
What’s the best movie I can watch on Netflix? We’ve all asked ourselves this question, only to spend the next 15 minutes scrolling through the streami......
Rust - Primitive enhancement - YouTube Watch On.
It's a great week for going medieval. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 crashed through Steam's gates on Tuesday......
Firaxis acknowledges Civilization 7 issues, fixes incoming
As Civilization 7 has launched into early access ahead of its full release next week, developer Firaxis has acknowledged issues with the game highlighted by the "passionate community".
On Steam, the game has received plenty of negative reviews complaining about its poor UI and lack of capabilities, and currently sits with a Mixed rating. Eurogamer's Civilization 7 review described it as "a competent entry with some poorly executed ideas and a striking lack of personality".
Now, Firaxis has identified three areas it's looking to improve in a new enhancement post, with a full roadmap due soon.
The biggest priority is improving the UI, Firaxis mentioned. "We need some time to digest all of your feedback, but some areas that we're already looking into include making UI interactions more intuitive, improving map readability, fixing areas of polish like formatting, and more," it explained.
Next up are community-requested attributes, which will be added in free updates. These will include:
Adding Teams to multiplayer games so you can play cooperatively.
Allowing full player counts in multiplayer in all three Ages through refinements to our Distant Lands system.
Allowing you to pick your starting and ending Age to allow for single or double Age games.
Enabling city and religion names to be customized.
Lastly, Patch [website] is already due for March, which will include quality of life changes to UI, AI balance, adjustments to diplomacy, and bug fixes.
"We will support Civilization 7 for years to come, and your feedback remains critical in helping us grow and build the future of Civ," the post concludes.
Civilization 7 is the latest in the long-running strategy series, which entered early access earlier this week for those who bought its Deluxe or Founders editions. Its full release will be next week, 11th February.
This time, the game's narrator is Gwendoline Christie, who played Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones.
Solve the Wordle of the day in record time with our quick link straight to the February 7 (1329) answer. Or solve it at your leisure with some help fr......
(she/her) is a culture writer at Polygon, covering internet culture, fandom, and video games. Her work has previously appeared at NPR, Wired, and The ......
Microsoft's next big game, the RPG Avowed from The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian, is capable of running at up to 60fps on Xbox Series X, game direct......
Market Impact Analysis
Market Growth Trend
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0% | 7.2% | 7.5% | 8.4% | 8.8% | 9.1% | 9.2% |
Quarterly Growth Rate
| Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.5% | 8.8% | 9.0% | 9.2% |
Market Segments and Growth Drivers
| Segment | Market Share | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Console Gaming | 28% | 6.8% |
| Mobile Gaming | 37% | 11.2% |
| PC Gaming | 21% | 8.4% |
| Cloud Gaming | 9% | 25.3% |
| VR Gaming | 5% | 32.7% |
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity:
Competitive Landscape Analysis
| Company | Market Share |
|---|---|
| Sony PlayStation | 21.3% |
| Microsoft Xbox | 18.7% |
| Nintendo | 15.2% |
| Tencent Games | 12.8% |
| Epic Games | 9.5% |
Future Outlook and Predictions
The Gaming: Latest Updates and Analysis landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, changing threat vectors, and shifting business requirements. Based on current trends and expert analyses, we can anticipate several significant developments across different time horizons:
Year-by-Year Technology Evolution
Based on current trajectory and expert analyses, we can project the following development timeline:
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity, influencing adoption timelines and investment priorities:
Innovation Trigger
- Generative AI for specialized domains
- Blockchain for supply chain verification
Peak of Inflated Expectations
- Digital twins for business processes
- Quantum-resistant cryptography
Trough of Disillusionment
- Consumer AR/VR applications
- General-purpose blockchain
Slope of Enlightenment
- AI-driven analytics
- Edge computing
Plateau of Productivity
- Cloud infrastructure
- Mobile applications
Technology Evolution Timeline
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
Expert Perspectives
Leading experts in the gaming tech sector provide diverse perspectives on how the landscape will evolve over the coming years:
"Technology transformation will continue to accelerate, creating both challenges and opportunities."
— Industry Expert
"Organizations must balance innovation with practical implementation to achieve meaningful results."
— Technology Analyst
"The most successful adopters will focus on business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake."
— Research Director
Areas of Expert Consensus
- Acceleration of Innovation: The pace of technological evolution will continue to increase
- Practical Integration: Focus will shift from proof-of-concept to operational deployment
- Human-Technology Partnership: Most effective implementations will optimize human-machine collaboration
- Regulatory Influence: Regulatory frameworks will increasingly shape technology development
Short-Term Outlook (1-2 Years)
In the immediate future, organizations will focus on implementing and optimizing currently available technologies to address pressing gaming tech challenges:
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
These developments will be characterized by incremental improvements to existing frameworks rather than revolutionary changes, with emphasis on practical deployment and measurable outcomes.
Mid-Term Outlook (3-5 Years)
As technologies mature and organizations adapt, more substantial transformations will emerge in how security is approached and implemented:
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
This period will see significant changes in security architecture and operational models, with increasing automation and integration between previously siloed security functions. Organizations will shift from reactive to proactive security postures.
Long-Term Outlook (5+ Years)
Looking further ahead, more fundamental shifts will reshape how cybersecurity is conceptualized and implemented across digital ecosystems:
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
These long-term developments will likely require significant technical breakthroughs, new regulatory frameworks, and evolution in how organizations approach security as a fundamental business function rather than a technical discipline.
Key Risk Factors and Uncertainties
Several critical factors could significantly impact the trajectory of gaming tech evolution:
Organizations should monitor these factors closely and develop contingency strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts on technology implementation timelines.
Alternative Future Scenarios
The evolution of technology can follow different paths depending on various factors including regulatory developments, investment trends, technological breakthroughs, and market adoption. We analyze three potential scenarios:
Optimistic Scenario
Rapid adoption of advanced technologies with significant business impact
Key Drivers: Supportive regulatory environment, significant research breakthroughs, strong market incentives, and rapid user adoption.
Probability: 25-30%
Base Case Scenario
Measured implementation with incremental improvements
Key Drivers: Balanced regulatory approach, steady technological progress, and selective implementation based on clear ROI.
Probability: 50-60%
Conservative Scenario
Technical and organizational barriers limiting effective adoption
Key Drivers: Restrictive regulations, technical limitations, implementation challenges, and risk-averse organizational cultures.
Probability: 15-20%
Scenario Comparison Matrix
| Factor | Optimistic | Base Case | Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implementation Timeline | Accelerated | Steady | Delayed |
| Market Adoption | Widespread | Selective | Limited |
| Technology Evolution | Rapid | Progressive | Incremental |
| Regulatory Environment | Supportive | Balanced | Restrictive |
| Business Impact | Transformative | Significant | Modest |
Transformational Impact
Technology becoming increasingly embedded in all aspects of business operations. This evolution will necessitate significant changes in organizational structures, talent development, and strategic planning processes.
The convergence of multiple technological trends—including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and ubiquitous connectivity—will create both unprecedented security challenges and innovative defensive capabilities.
Implementation Challenges
Technical complexity and organizational readiness remain key challenges. Organizations will need to develop comprehensive change management strategies to successfully navigate these transitions.
Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around emerging technologies like AI in security applications, will require flexible security architectures that can adapt to evolving compliance requirements.
Key Innovations to Watch
Artificial intelligence, distributed systems, and automation technologies leading innovation. Organizations should monitor these developments closely to maintain competitive advantages and effective security postures.
Strategic investments in research partnerships, technology pilots, and talent development will position forward-thinking organizations to leverage these innovations early in their development cycle.
Technical Glossary
Key technical terms and definitions to help understand the technologies discussed in this article.
Understanding the following technical concepts is essential for grasping the full implications of the technologies discussed in this article. These definitions provide context for both technical and non-technical readers.
AR beginner
platform intermediate
Related Articles
