It’s been announced by the Entertainment Software Association that the first-ever Interactive Innovation Conference, also known as “iicon,” will be taking place on April 27 to 30, 2026. The event will be held at Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Interactive Innovation Conference will be an invitation-only event that will “connect visionaries, thought leaders, and innovators from across industries to harness the power of interactive entertainment.” During this event, there will be keynotes, discussions, workshops, and plenty of networking opportunities with some of the major company executives who are currently the faces of entertainment, technology, and business. This event aims to bring together “A broad spectrum of sectors” that utilize interactive entertainment. This includes sectors such as music, sports, healthcare, education, and, of course, film and television.
So far, confirmed exhibitors for the Interactive Innovation Conference include Amazon Games, Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Nintendo, Square Enix, Microsoft, Take-Two Interactive Software, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Games. As it gets closer to the event, more exhibitors and attendees will likely be announced, with the possibility of some major companies from the film and television sectors joining as exhibitors.
Some of the attending exhibitors and executive partners from the event have made comments regarding this showcase and how it will be beneficial. John Heinecke, Chief Publishing Officer at Square Enix Americas, EMEA, and ANZ, goes on to say: “Video games have been a major contributor to our global culture by blending entertainment, creating communities, and pushing new technologies. iicon will be an incredible forum where business leaders and innovators can join forces to celebrate our industry’s achievements and to build the future of entertainment together.”
As this showcase is a heavy focus on entertainment and interactive entertainment at that, it wouldn’t be too surprising if some of the major faces of AI made an appearance at the event. Despite AI being controversial in the entertainment sector, there are now more and more major companies beginning to dip their toes into AI usage, including Capcom and Square Enix, for example.
“For decades, video games have been at the forefront of technological and cultural innovation,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, President and CEO of ESA. “With iicon, we are creating a space for visionaries across industries to come together, connect, and reimagine what’s possible through interactive entertainment.”
There is also the option to sign up to updates on the official iicon website, where more announcements will be released in the future regarding sponsors, exhibitors and talks happening at the event.