The world isn’t ready for an in-person games conference and tens of thousands of people meeting up in real life, so it will come as no surprise that E3 2021 will be run as an all-virtual and free-to-watch event this summer.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has today confirmed that E3 2021 will be run over three days from June 12-15. Participating in the expo this year are a healthy number of the biggest games publishers and developers, including Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, and Koch Media. There’s a number of big names missing from that list, however, such as Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, EA, Sega, Sony, and Square Enix. There’s still plenty of time for some or all of them to sign up, though.
“For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, President and CEO of the ESA. “We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”
The ESA is certainly trying to focus on the positives of a digital-only event, pointing out that “more people than ever can participate.” Many developers are expected to showcase their latest games directly, meaning we’re going to have a lot of feeds to watch (hopefully over reliable internet connections) from the studios, as well as a number of pre-recorded segments to avoid those technical gremlins live broadcasts always suffer from. Meanwhile, we can all enjoy it from the comfort of our sofas or desks, safe in the knowledge there’s no chance of catching con flu this year.
