The E3 2021 leak suggests a paywall, Nvidia streaming; ESA says it will be “free for all”

While we’ve been hearing rumors for months that the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) will return in some form after its collapse and cancellation in 2020, a leak has clarified what the 2021 version could look like online only – and urged its creators to confirm some of the details of the leak.

“The E3 2021 digital show is a free event for all attendees,” official expo Twitter account posted thursday (and apparently not as an April Fool’s joke). “We are delighted to let you know all the real news from the event very soon.”

Details on the leaked blurb, obtained by Video Games Chronicle, were actually reposted by the E3 Twitter account, suggesting they may very well be accurate. VGC reports that this pitch was given to game publishers by E3 organizer, the Electronic Software Association, to get potential partners excited about biz-dev minutiae like “B2B, B2M, and B2C goals” – but also to insist on the fact that “E3 2021 is do not an in-person event that has gone virtual. “

Even if, according to the sound, the event is exactly that. According to the leak, the renowned Electronic Entertainment Experience (still “E3”) could include presentation sessions, an awards show, a “preview party” and appointments for the usual attendees (salespeople, journalists) to meet game makers – only this time it would all be routed through an official video app instead of a crowded convention hall in Los Angeles.

VGC says ESA is interested in partnering with Nvidia to leverage cloud gaming service GeForce Now to stream exclusive and playable demos to virtual E3 attendees. VGC’s language suggests that no such deal has been finalized and that this plan is not part of the leaked presentation document.

However, there are potential difficulties with this plan, especially considering that publishers pulled their software from GeForce Now shortly after its launch in early 2020. What makes them think the same publishers would agree? that Nvidia get exclusive streaming rights to their E3 revelations? And how is ESA going to handle this kind of political negotiation with so many game publishers, including those like Microsoft who already operate their own streaming services? VGC isn’t suggesting that ESA has an answer there.

E3 to play?

The ESA tweet appears to firmly refute at least one suggestion in the leaked document: a possible paywall to access the virtual expo.

VGC cites “sources” as saying that ESA has considered bundling parts of E3 2021 into a “paid access pass,” which could include access to demos streamed in the cloud or a “Additional access” in a way. But the editors apparently pushed back on this part of the plan, and ESA had already expressed willingness to forgo such a proposal during the planning stages.

ESA’s public statement may still offer some leeway for the two extremes: “a free event” with some aspects held behind pay-off virtual velvet ropes. (You know, like a lot of free games released by ESA members.)

Thanks to the disbandment of E3 in 2020, which was already facing internal turmoil before succumbing to the realities of a pandemic, exactly how ESA will spin its E3 wheels and organize it all – especially the ground for the physical content filmed in Los Angeles – remains unclear.