The Entertainment Software Association announced that E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, will return in 2021 with an online-only event from June 12 to 15.
The event, normally held with fans and members of the media, was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. E3 will go digital this year featuring live press conferences and a four-day long video stream, giving fans free access to the trade event for the video game industry.
Currently set to participate in E3 2021 will be Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, Koch Media, with more participants to be revealed at a later date.
“For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games,” said Entertainment Software Association (ESA) president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis in a press release. “We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”
Though the ESA says the 2021 virtual event will enhance the E3 experience for years to come, they anticipate an in-person expo for 2022.