While announcing its E3 2018 press conference date and change of venue, Microsoft has promised that the company’s E3 presence will be greater than ever before.
The Xbox E3 briefing will air June 10 at 1 p.m. PT. This year the show will be held in the Microsoft Theater, a separate venue located across the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center. In addition to the press conference, Xbox FanFest events, hands-on demonstrations, and playable demos will take place in the Microsoft Theater throughout E3.
The announcement comes a month after the head of Xbox Phil Spencer teased changes to Microsoft’s showing on Major Nelson’s podcast. “I don’t think we’ve talked about [it] yet, but I think will be some positive changes at E3. Could be fun for us; it’ll be a nice change,” Spencer said at the time. The relocation to the Microsoft Theater is almost undoubtedly the big change Spencer alluded to.
Typically, most of the E3 action has been found in the Los Angeles Convention Center, the official home of E3. In recent years, though, publishers and developers have become more individualized. Electronic Arts debuted EA Play in 2016, a fan-centric event that will enter its third year at the Hollywood Palladium this year. And Nintendo has ditched the traditional press conference altogether, choosing to stream its announcements as basically a beefy Nintendo Direct.
As Microsoft becomes the latest major player to ditch the E3 mold, it will be interesting to see if other studios follow suit in the years to come. Microsoft will still be present at the convention center with a Mixer booth that will hold play and streaming sessions throughout E3.
E3 2018 officially runs from June 12 to 14 (publisher press briefings occur before the official start date). For the second year in a row, the annual gaming expo will be open to the public. Tickets went on sale in February. Although early bird ticket specials are no longer available, you can still get a three-day pass for $250.
If you’re as eager for E3 as we are, check out our running list of every game we know, expect, and hope to see at this year’s show.
