E3 2020 was never held leading to the first time the event, often celebrated as one of the most important weeks for video game players and developers for the year, skipped the performative conferences and gaudy booths. June is coming up in just a few months and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the organization in charge of hosting E3, has suggested that E3 2021 is happening but with some drastic changes according to an article by Video Games Chronicle
Some events currently slated for the upcoming all-digital E3 include allowing partner companies to stream their demos to media, previews during the preceding weeks building up to the digital event, and even an awards show. Multiple ‘keynote sessions’ will also be hosted by certain companies likely taking the place of traditional conferences which were the main attractions of previous E3s.
While there already seems to be a substantial outline of what to expect, the proposal still needs approval from all the members under the ESA; these include top publishers like Capcom, Ubisoft, EA, and of course, Microsft, Sony, and Nintendo.
In lieu of E3’s absence last year, a slew of companies and personalities alike held their own digital events for game announcements. Notable media personality Geoff Keighley launched the Summer Games Fest last year, a season-long “celebration of video games”, IGN held their own, similarly-titled event called Summer of Gaming, Ubisoft had their Ubisoft Forwards, etc.
The sheer number of announcements being sprinkled all throughout summer made it a tad difficult to keep in touch with the latest happenings within the industry. Perhaps the return of E3, and a stronger focus on game announcements within a couple of days, can make last year’s struggles a bit easier.
