After the cancellation of last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) due to the COVID-19 virus, the event’s future was up in the air. Now, however, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA)—organizer of the annual gaming event held in Los Angeles, California—is reportedly planning to bring E3 back this year in digital form.
According to Video Games Chronicle (VGC), the ESA has sent pitch documents to game developers and publishers detailing plans for a three-day, digital-only event. The proposed event would be held Tuesday, June 15 through Thursday, June 17; typical for past E3 events.
Nintendo and other developers have yet to comment on participating in E3 or any similar events for 2021, though Nintendo has previously commented on why involvement in such events is beneficial.
Per VGC, “ESA’s intention is to hold multiple two-hour keynote sessions from games partners, an awards show, a June 14 preview night and other smaller streams from games publishers, influencers and media partners.”
Coverage would reportedly be livestreamed during the event, and part of the ESA’s proposal includes game demos to be released on consumer’s home consoles and the ability for companies to remotely stream their product demos to a wide audience.
While a large part of E3’s draw has always been the ability for media and fans to walk the floor and experience upcoming titles in a convention-style form (2019’s Link’s Awakening remake booth was something to see), the event’s sustainability has been questionable in the last few years, with major publishers pulling out of the event entirely. Speculation regarding E3’s future circulated after its cancellation in 2020, but nothing had surfaced regarding concrete plans.
An ESA spokesperson told VGC “We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together.”
