The ESA finally revealed the first official details about E3 2021 after months of rumors. The show will be all-digital in 2021 and feature many major gaming studios — and some notable absences.
E3 2021 will take place from June 12 to June 15 as originally scheduled. While the ESA danced around whether or not the show would be in-person, today it officially confirmed a full digital pivot. The ESA previously said that the event would be a “reimagined” version of the show.
According to ESA CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis, this year’s edition will be business as usual for the show despite the format change. It’s expected to feature game announcements and reveals as it has in previous years.
“We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event,” says Pierre-Louis in a press release, “but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”
While few details were revealed, the ESA did share a list of partners who will be involved in the show. Nintendo, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Konami, Warner Bros., and more are among the list of publishers who will showcase games at the event.
Notably absent from the list are Sony and EA. Both companies had ditched E3 entirely in recent years prior to the show’s cancellation in 2020. At the moment, it appears that neither company will return for the digital show.
The ESA emphasizes that the event will be free. That comes after recent speculation that the show would feature some form of a paid tier for fans to get exclusive access to demos. The E3 Twitter account denied those claims. No further details about how the show will be structured were revealed.
