E3 2021
E3 2020 has already fallen victim to the ongoing corona pandemic and this year the world's largest video game fair will not take place in the Convention Center of Los Angeles as usual. But in contrast to last year, this time it should at least work to set up a digital version of the game show. It was announced in February that the organizer, the Entertainment Software Association, was in talks with various publishers about possible concepts. This should include keynotes from the various manufacturers, live announcements and even an award show. In the meantime, the plans for the event from June 12th to 15th are evidently becoming more and more concrete . Accordingly, Microsoft, Nintendo, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media are said to have already confirmed their participation. Of the big names in the industry, Square Enix, Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard and, above all, Sony are currently missing. The Playstation Group had already decided against participating in the prestigious trade fair in 2019 and 2020. Of course, that doesn't say whether they will stay away from the new digital concept.The current information from ESA also shows that E3 will be freely available to everyone in 2021. With this, the organizations contradicts the rumors that the show or at least some parts of it should only be accessible for a fee. In addition to the plans for this year, ESA is already looking to the future. A statement said it would be nice if everyone came together again for E3 2022. The organizers are therefore assuming that the fair will return as a local event in the coming year.
Source: Destructoid
Microsoft and</a> Nintendo sign up for a free, all-digital E3
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has confirmed its plans for this year’s E3. After canceling last year's event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ESA is bringing back E3 as an all-digital show that will be completely free to virtually attend. It will take place between June 12th and 15th.
Nintendo and Xbox are among the big names who’ll be part of E3, along with Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media. The ESA says there will be more additions to that lineup, but as it stands, the notable omissions include Sony, EA, Activision Blizzard, Square Enix, Sega and Bandai Namco. Sony skipped E3 2019 and was going to do the same last year, so it wouldn’t be surprising for the company to forego this year’s edition as well.
There has been lots of discussion about the future of E3 over the last year or so, and whether the event still has a viable place in the industry. In the absence of E3 2020, many developers and publishers ran their own digital showcases and others got some shine from the likes of Summer Game Fest. However, the ESA is planning to hold E3 2022 as an in-person event, so it’s clearly confident that the trade show will remain a fixture of the gaming calendar.