E3 organizer The Entertainment Software Association “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/entertainment-software-association/ “> Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is pushing ahead with plans for a digital event this summer, but it still requires the support of big gaming companies.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has historically been at the center of the gaming industry’s calendar, with companies regularly holding their biggest announcements for the annual Los Angeles event.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic plans for a physical E3 in 2020, it has been canceled. When a proposed ‘virtual’ program could not materialize in 2020 either, the ESA promised that a ‘rethought’ E3 would take place in June 2021.
According to E3 2021 pitch documents sent to VGC and viewed by VGC, the ESA has now set out its proposals for this year’s event, which will hold three days of live coverage during the previously announced dates of 15 to 17 June.
The ESA intends to hold several two-hour main sessions of game partners, an awards show, a preview night on June 14 and other smaller streams of game publishers, influencers and media partners.
According to the ESA’s proposal, the broadcast event will be supplemented with media previews last week, as well as demos released on consumer platforms.
The ESA also says it will enable partner companies to stream playable demo games remotely to “media” over “thousands” of scheduled meetings, with one-on-one assistance from developers. Many companies used similar on-demand streaming solutions during the pandemic to enable the media to play their games remotely for a preview.
However, the E3 2021 plans still require the approval of ESA’s membership, which consists of the largest gaming companies in the industry and which has a significant influence on the direction of the show.
The ESA has already had great pressure to rediscover E3, with several major publishers including Electronic Arts “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/electronic-arts/ “> EA, Sony Interactive Entertainment” href = “https: //www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/sony/”> Sony and Activision “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/activision-blizzard/activision/ “> Activision has in recent years opportunity – and that was before the 2020 cancellation, after which many companies such as EA and Ubisoft were successful in running their own digital events.
E3’s longtime collaborator Geoff Keighley “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/people/geoff-keighley/ “> Geoff Keighley, who stopped the show last year due to a disagreement over its leadership, also has the successful Summer Game Fest in 2020. Keighley confirmed to VGC through a private message that the event would return this year and said he would not be involved in the E3 again.
It is unclear how many publishers have signed up for the E3 2021 digital event, although at least one major gaming company has spoken to VGC, indicating that it will keep its own separate digital showcase, rather than paying the six-figure amounts to to join E3 2021s. schedule.
However, the ESA, which is funded by and serves the interests of game publishers, would argue that a unified digital game event would attract the world’s attention more effectively than a series of smaller shows.
In a statement issued to VGC, the ESA said it would soon share exact details about this year’s E3 show, claiming it was having ‘good talks’ with developers and publishers, but would not confirm who for the opportunity entered.
“We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share precise details on how we bring the global video game community together,” an ESA spokesman said.
“We’ve been having great conversations with publishers, developers and companies across the board, and we look forward to sharing details about their involvement soon.”
Although the body has not officially canceled the plans for a physical E3 event, it is clear that the digital show is now the focal point for E3 2021, due to ongoing restrictions around the coronavirus pandemic.
Several sources for publishing games told VGC that they were working on the assumption that the physical event would not take place this year.
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According to the proposal of the ESA E3 2021, a typical program day will have its live broadcast schedule from 10:00 to 22:00 EST, with local reruns in Europe, China and the Middle East.
A sample scheme sent to publishers looks like an ordinary day of the E3 events: it begins with a 30-minute pre-program presented by a media partner, followed by an exclusive two-hour press conference by a console platform holder, followed by a question and answer and panel response.
The rest of the day will consist of third-party presentations of varying lengths, and the day will conclude with a closing and a preview for the following. ESA’s notes also mention a “charitable after-party” stream.
Leaked documents for the E3 2020 event – which was eventually canceled due to the pandemic – showed plans for a ‘fan, media and influencer festival’, including a redesigned show floor with ‘experience hubs’, above and beyond traditional companies.
Shortly after the last physical E3 event in 2019, the ESA angered participants after they leaked a list of personal details of more than 2,000 members of the media, including their home addresses and phone numbers.
After the leak, the ESA said the trust of its media partners was the “highest priority” to win back.