The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has confirmed that it's planning a digital E3 2021 this June, reports VGC.
In a statement to GamesRadar, the ESA lays out plans for this year's E3, writing: "We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together. We are having great conversations with publishers, developers and companies across the board, and we look forward to sharing details about their involvement soon.”
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, E3 2020 was cancelled back in March of last year. The event was set to run from June 9 to June 11 in Los Angeles, but was cancelled in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of attendees, E3 employees, and developers. Back then, the ESA promised to bring a "reimagined event that brings fans, media, and the industry together" for E3 2021 - it was clear that the community wasn't sure how long our lives would be affected by COVID-19 back then. Nearly a year later, however, it's clear that an in-person E3 2021 is off the table.
The digital E3 2021 is set to take place during the previously announced dates of June 15 to June 17 and will reportedly include three days of live-streamed coverage, a handful of two-hour keynote sessions from games partners, a preview night on June 14, an awards show, and smaller streams from publishers and industry influencers. ESA's proposal seeks to supplement the event with media previews taking place the entire week before, and demos released on multiple platforms. Media members will also get a chance to preview game demos via streaming, which is how we've been seeing all of the new games during the pandemic.
However, all of this rides on the members of the ESA who must approve the E3 2021 plans. ESA members are the largest games companies in the industry, and have significant sway over the show's production. We'll update you accordingly with any E3 2021 news.
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