E3 2020 may be canceled and in-person events may be off of the table, but that doesn't mean digital alternatives can't be done instead. Today IGN announced what may be an all-digital mini-E3 of sorts named Summer of Gaming. The June event will feature showcases from 10 or more video game publishers and developers.
Announced partners so far include 2K, Amazon, Bandai Namco, Devolver Digital, Google Stadia, SEGA, Square Enix, THQ Nordic, and Twitter. Additional partners will be announced between now and the event. Game makers seem to be leaping at the opportunity for an alternative to the canceled E3 that doesn't require making their own separate event.
Notable absences from the list include Microsoft and Nintendo. Both were involved with E3 2020 before it was canceled and both will almost certainly be doing an E3 alternative show of their own. Perhaps, with IGN revealing its list of partners now, the bigger publishers will consider also joining or aligning their own events to make something bigger.
As for the structure of IGN's Summer of Gaming, IGN says the event will include a variety of content. That starts with publisher presentations, but has more intimate content, too. There will be remote developer interviews, hands-on demo impressions, standalone gameplay, and so on. If it sounds a lot like E3 without the show floor, that's probably the intention.
The IGN Summer of Gaming event airs on June.