In brief: The Covid-19 pandemic may be changing the way the world approaches massive tech conventions, but it hasn’t eliminated them altogether. This year will see the launch of yet another E3 event, but this time, it’ll take place entirely in the digital realm.
Most gamers probably already saw this coming. Blizzcon and other, similar events (including non-gaming tech conferences) have already migrated to online-only formats, and after the cancellation of E3 2020, it’s no surprise to see it happen here, too.
This information comes courtesy of a new report from VGC. The outlet was able to get its hands on E3 2021 “pitch documents” sent to game publishers. The documents reportedly contained detailed information regarding the Entertainment Software Association’s E3 plans, though, of course, some of them may be subject to change (E3 is still months away, after all).
So.. What does today’s news mean for viewers at home? Convenience, for one — users can rest assured they won’t be missing out on any important reveals or information just because they can’t afford a plane ticket to LA (where E3 is typically hosted).
It also means publishers, event hosts, and developers will all be holding fully-digital keynotes for us to watch, with remote game demos and private previews available to journalists and influencers.
Unfortunately, other details are slim. We’re not sure which publishers will show up this time around, and E3’s organizers haven’t updated the official website with specific streaming details yet.
That said, we know E3 2021 will kick off on June 15, 2021, and it will end a few days later on June 17. As usual, you can expect plenty of game teases and teaser trailers in the months leading up to E3, though the real showcases — lengthier gameplay demos, for example — likely won’t show up until the event itself.