E3 2021 could be digital as ESA says it ‘transforms’ game showcase

The Entertainment Software Association has announced that E3 2021 is happening this year and may go digital, according to Video games chronicle. The event will be held from June 15 to June 17.

“We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021,” an ESA spokesperson said. The edge. “And we’ll be sharing exact details soon on how we’re bringing the global gaming community together.

According to Video games chronicle, ESA outlined their plans for E3 2021, with the intention of hosting several two-hour presentation sessions with gaming partners, an awards show, a preview night on June 14, as well as a few small streams from various game publishers, influencers and media partners.

Video games chronicle Also notes that ESA’s plan proposes that the broadcast event be complemented with media previews the week before, and that demos of games that are expected to appear at the event would be released on mainstream platforms. ESA would also allow partner companies to remotely broadcast playable game demos to the media through “thousands” of scheduled meetings.

While the whole plan looks ambitious, it still requires approval from members of ESA, which is made up of some of the biggest companies in the industry, who also wield significant influence over the structure of the event. Traditionally, E3 has been one of the video game industry’s biggest weeks, with the event featuring some of the biggest announcements of the year. However, in recent years, ESA has faced pressure to redefine E3 as major publishers, such as Sony, chose to skip the event altogether in favor of hosting its own events around. of the normal week of E3. Following the cancellation of E3, there were plenty of digital events to fill the void, including the Summer Games Fest hosted by industry veteran Geoff Keighley.

This is the first time ESA has hosted E3 after the organization canceled E3 2020 over concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. But E3 isn’t the only event that plans to go digital this year due to the pandemic; Activision Blizzard plans to host an online-only BlizzCon from February 19-20.