E3 2021 Will Be An Online-Only Event

As the cornavirus vaccine rolls our across the globe, society’s confidence in holding large scale events are at all time lows.

Just look at whether or not the Tokyo Olympics will even take place.

As for E3 2021, IGN has confirmed with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the folks behind E3, will take place digitally.

In a statement –

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

This means that it’s still early days for the team and how they are going to put it together.

In light of that, ESA has not explicitly confirmed that the physical event for E3 will be canceled outright.

Earlier reporting by VGC mentioned that the plan included –

Multiple two-hour keynote sessions from game partners, an awards show, a June 14 preview night and other smaller streams from game publishers, influencers and media partners.

Allow partner companies to remotely stream playable game demos to the media across ‘thousands’ of scheduled meetings.

Considering that Sony PlayStation could launch their brand new PS5 console amid the pandemic and multiple online game shows such as the Video Game Awards have taken place, it’s a challenge for the ESA to illustrate the value they bring to the table via the Internet.

All things considered, the appeal of a physical event is something that cannot be replaced with digital panels. The concentration to sit through a two-hour presentation remotely creates too much mental fatigue. It’s something which we ourselves would rather attend in person.

What does this bode for Tokyo Game Show and gamescom? Stay tuned for the next chapter of 2021.

[H/T to IGN and VGC]