E3 2021 will be a three-day digital event with remote playable game demos

By Giovanni Colantonio February 8, 2021

The first details surrounding E3 2021 are out now, and they signal a fully digital event. The report comes from Video Games Chronicle, which obtained pitch documents for the show that were sent to video game publishers.

According to the report, E3 will take place from June 15 to June 17 as originally planned, with a preview night on June 14. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) plans to hold several two-hour presentations from its partners, as well as additional streams from developers and influencers.

Game demos are a major part of the ESA’s plan. The proposal says that demos would be released on consumer platforms alongside the event. As part of the plan, media would gain access to remote demos as the ESA prepares to host thousands of one-on-one meetings during the three-day event.

Under the current proposal, daily broadcasts would run from 7 a.m. PT to 7 p.m. PT. The streams would start with a preshow and then feature a two-hour “exclusive press conference by a console platform holder,” with third-party programming filling out the rest of a day.

VGC says that multiple publishers have stated that they are not preparing for a physical event this year. In a statement sent to Digital Trends, the ESA reaffirmed that the event would be a reimagined this year, but didn’t commit to an all-digital show.

“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,” says the ESA. “We are having great conversations with publishers, developers, and companies across the board, and we look forward to sharing details about their involvement soon.”

Last year’s E3 was canceled outright amid tgrowing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The ESA did not hold a digital replacement. Instead, events like Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest filled the gaps with smaller, more spread-out streams.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

E3
Tech News

Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

Gaming

Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft

Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimd the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

Gaming

Summer Game Fest returns just before E3 2023 next June

The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

Geoff Keighley has confirmed when Summer Game Fest will return in June 2023. It will begin with a live kickoff show on June 8, 2023, placing Keighley's game announcement alternative less than a week before E3's grand (intended) 2023 return.
Unlike past years, Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff 2023 will feature a live audience, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards. It will take place in the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park, with tickets going on sale in early 2023. It will still be livestreamed across platforms like YouTube and Twitch, though. It's currently unknown who's participating, how long Summer Game Fest will run afterward, or if it will feature a Summer Game Fest Play Days-like element for fans. Still, Keighley says all of that info will be revealed ahead of the event next year, teasing what people can expect.
"In keeping with tradition, we'll have tons of exciting announcements from the developers that are pushing the games industry forward, and will once again highlight other publisher digital events, demos, and more surprises to be announced in the coming months," Keighley says in a press release.
That June 8 start date, and the other Summer Game Fest events likely to follow, put Keighley's show just ahead of E3 2023. The ESA and ReedPop plan to bring E3 back between June 13 and June 16, 2023. With five days of lead time on E3, Summer Game Fest can coexist with the long-running gaming conference and encompass the plethora of publisher showcases that tend to precede E3.
Geoff Keighley made it clear that he wants Summer Game Fest and E3 to coexist for a while. "We've had extensive conversations with ReedPop about E3," he said in an interview with Epic Games Store. "I think it'll kind of fit together and flow kind of from what we're doing into what they're doing and stuff. E3, to me, is this kind of master brand that represents gaming news in June."
With the start date of Summer Game Fest confirmed, the coexistence of these two summer gaming events is a reality. Summer Game Fest returns on June 8, 2023.

Gaming

E3 2023 returns in June with separate business and consumer days

E3 2023 will return as an in-person event from June 13 to June 16, 2023, as announced by ReedPop today.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) already revealed that E3 will return in 2023, but now we know exactly when the event will take place, along with several other key details. E3 will once again take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center after a four-year hiatus, but will incorporate separate days for industry professionals and general consumers.