The Entertainment Software Association announced last year that they will go digital for E3 2021, which takes place between the 15th and 17th of June. Now, amid questions about the future of gaming conferences, they have discussed their plans for this year.
Every summer since 1995, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as “E3”, has taken place in the USA. It is one of the largest gaming conventions in the world, regularly attended by gaming press, and is usually one of the most important times and places where new announcements, revelations and trailers can be seen for the first time.
For many of those years, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft shared the stage as presenters, but over time, several publishers withdrew from it. In 2013, Nintendo switched to pre-recorded video announcements, direct style, rather than press conferences on stage; EA, Sony, Ubisoft, Activision and Bethesda followed suit in the following years, with some studios holding their own conferences instead of being hosted by E3.
Last year was the first time that E3 could not materialize because the pandemic was critical during the planning phase. Despite initial plans to keep a digital version, there was not enough time to make it work, which led to the cancellation of the entire case.
Thanks to a report from VGC, we know that the three-day event will include live coverage from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and influencers. ‘Regional iterations’ across Europe, China and the Middle East will ensure that no one misses the news.
Game demonstrations will be made available to the public during the weeks before the event, and the media can preview the games remotely. On June 14, a day before the start of E3, a “Preview Night” will take place, although there are currently no details on what that means.
Geoff Keighley – former E3 contributor and host of The Game Awards – plans to continue his Summer Game Fest, which he launched last year, with a cryptic tweet that is getting more news today:
VGC states that it is not yet clear which publishers have signed up for this digital version of E3, but that ‘at least one major gaming company’ continues with their own showcase, rather than paying ‘six-figure amounts’ to appear at E3 . .
Do you think a digital recording is the way forward? Do you prefer it in the years to come, even after we kicked the pandemic’s butt? Let us know in the comments.