E3 2021 set to be completely online
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is now apparently set to be a completely online experience with no in-person contact.
E3 is always the largest game show of the year, showcasing new games from industry leaders that are due for release to millions of consumers. The shows are broadcasted across the internet live, and often the crowd is filled with press and industry members, such as game developers and marketing personnel.
Unfortunately, due to the Pandemic, E3 2020’s in-person event was canceled in favor of an online event, however, that plan fell through. Due to this, E3 promised an online event in 2021, which should take place in June if the usual E3 schedule is followed.
This event would require many publishers and development studios to sign on for an interesting event, especially considering E3 has lost many major players in the previous years, including EA, Sony & Activision – who now run their own expos.
By far the biggest loss to the event as of recently was Sony, as their usual PlayStation reveals have historically been on the stages of E3. This was ditched by Sony in favor of their own “PlayStation Showcase.”
This was a huge blow to the event, and will surely leave some issues for the expo, as the timeslot will need to be filled with several interesting game announcements and demos to make up for the lost Sony slot.
In terms of the event status, E3 issued a statement to Video Games Chronicle, claiming to have “great conversations” with publishers. They did not comment if those publishers signed up for the event.
E3 also stated that they “will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together”, so hopefully we will have more information to share in the coming months our industry’s beloved gaming expo.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / E3 Expo