This time of year can be one of the driest in terms of new game releases, but it can also be one of the most exciting in terms of upcoming gaming news. The late spring and early summer months are often when the biggest companies in gaming will begin to announce their slate of impending releases for the holiday season, and they'll often do it in a big way. One of the tried and true ways to build up hype around an upcoming game is to announce it at a convention that gets a lot of attention, and one of the biggest conventions in gaming for over twenty years has been E3.
In recent years, there have been some concerns about the need for a convention like E3 when some companies can just hold game showcases themselves, but it's been such a pivotal part of the marketing process for so many game publishers and developers that it still serves as the ideal place to make a big announcement. Last year's E3 didn't necessarily go as planned thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, but this year the event is back in full force with some adjustments. With the event looming on the horizon, it's worth taking a look at everything that's been revealed about E3 2021 thus far.
When and Where It Is
Due to the ongoing pandemic, E3 2021 is going to be rather different from previous years. Instead of holding the event at the Los Angeles Convention Centre like usual, this year's E3 is going to be completely virtual. The timeline of when E3 will run will also differ slightly, as this year's event will be from June 12 through June 15. This time period between Saturday and Tuesday is usually reserved for when game developers and publishers hold their press conferences, but now that there's no in-person events it will instead focus on the virtual presentations for each company attending.
Who Will Be at E3 2021
This year's E3 may not appear as lavish and exciting as previous years, but there's still going to be a number of heavy hitters present. Nintendo, Microsoft, and Ubisoft are just some of the many companies slated to make an appearance at some point, and according to the Entertainment Software Association that runs the event, there are more to come. It's worth noting that Sony will once again not be attending E3, likely continuing its trend of making independent publicity announcements. Although this decision may be disappointing, there should be more than enough announcements from other companies to make up for it.
What to Expect
There is much speculation around what is and what isn't going to be revealed during E3 2021, but there's also a number of definitive things that are going to happen that fans can look forward to. For Ubisoft fans, the company has already confirmed that it's going to hold a Ubisoft Forward conference that will stream during the event. Nintendo president Doug Bowser has also already expressed much excitement for E3's arrival, and reports have shown that the company has a major Direct presentation lined up for the event. Not much else is official about other companies, but just these two announcements should get some fans excited.
The relevance of events like E3 may be in contention, but it's clear that there's still a place for big gaming events in the industry. There's always a chance that this year's online format for E3 could breathe new life into the event, and influence further decision making on how it should be run for future years. One of the main issues with events like E3 is how it caters more to shareholders than actual fan interaction, so shifting gears to something that's more accessible to gamers may prove to be beneficial. With any luck, this year's E3 will bring gamers even closer to the games they love in a big way.