After a year’s absence, the E3 2021 showcase will be held completely online, with many publishers participating, including Ubisoft and Xbox, and some like Sony holding off their own event.
The confirmation comes from GamesIndustry.biz, stating that many publishers like Xbox, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Capcom and WB Games will be present. Sony, Square Enix and a few others including EA will not be participating in E3 2021.
ESA CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis added the following regarding the transition to an all-digital event-
“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.”
It’s not surprising to see Sony not participating this year, considering their own showcase last year attracted just as much, if not more, viewership online. It appears that we’ll see another ‘Future of Gaming’ type event during the same time period, or maybe State of Plays spread out throughout the months ahead. After all, most developers have had to delay their games, and no one should market their game before its ready to be revealed to the world.
Even without getting in on the E3 hype, gamers have a lot of high-profile PlayStation games to look forward to including the likes of Horizon Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok. The former is supposed to be released sometime in the summer, so a trailer or gameplay demonstration will be an excellent way to kick off Sony’s own games showcase.
E3 2021 will take place from June 12-15, and you can learn more on its official website here.