What To Expect From E3 2021
Whether it is the early introduction of the COVID 19 vaccine or the holding of a major conference in person, E3 2021 will be something for everyone.
Although we do not limit this breakdown to official E3 events, several publishers have chosen to opt-out of the ESA structure for their own events. Some major publishers are taking part, while others are staging their own live-stream events throughout the summer. E3 2021 will take place from 12 to 15 June and participating publishers will host their own event during this period.
The online event consists of several live video conferences and a four-day live stream, all of which are available free of charge. You will be able to see live stream announcements on YouTube, Twitch, and of course IGN. Some publishers have announced that they will hold their conferences outside the E3 on the fringes of the fair.
Sony, one of the world’s largest games companies, announced that due to its cancellation, it would not participate in E3 2020, thereby leading to an intensive period of reflection and re-evaluation of the decision to bring back E3 2021. Thanks to the fact that E3 is now a digital event, it is now much easier and it is an important step in the right direction for the annual event. The show will be hosted by Greg Miller, the co-founder of the entertainment company Kinda Funny, Jacki Jing, an Emmy-nominated television journalist who works for IGN, and Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez, a professional sports commentator and commentator for NBC’s Titan Games.
Throughout the year, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) hosts a digital version of E3 that aims to introduce new and exciting announcements and updates to games we already know. Last year, several major publishers and gaming companies held their own digital presentations in 2020 instead of E3, and we find it difficult to imagine them wanting to switch to an exclusive format in the future. The E3 is already crammed with match announcements, and it can be overwhelming for viewers.
What I do not expect in 2021 is for E3 to return to all of us in a single week, as it did in the old one, but rather a concentrated effort by the people who organize the announcements of the summer and summer games to condense things into a tight, exciting block of events taking place in June. The E3 is not over yet, but it is approaching, and while it will not be as chaotic as it was last year, there will still be a lot of isolated events to follow. There are no concrete dates yet, but there are enough events to announce that we can start to see what we can expect from the summer schedule of match announcements.
Following the cancellation of E3 2020, the annual gaming show in 2021 will return with a bang in a new, all-online format. This will include announcements from publishers such as Microsoft, Nintendo, and Take-Two Interactive in what is expected to be a well-attended four-day event.
ESA has floated the idea of including game demos in some form in E3 2021, but it is unconfirmed whether this will bear fruit. At other events in the past, publishers have granted the press access to the demos of games in the past for coverage, so it is possible that we will see a version of it at E3 in 2021. Electronic Arts announced that the 2021 edition of its own gaming showcase, Play Live, will take place on 22 July as a virtual event.
Although EA Play Live, its own gaming showcase, is not an official part of E3 as such, it falls outside of ESA events, so it’s a little surprising that it’s only a month away from E3 this year.
Expect exclusive announcements that you won’t see at E3. The PC Gaming Show runs from June 13th to June 13th, and as you might have guessed by the name, it’s all about PC games. Geoff Keighley’s Summer of Game Fest is not just a show or one-day event, it runs throughout June.
