author: Adrian Piotrowski
E3 2021 Officially Without Live Events; Online Edition in Preparation
The physical editon of E3 has, for the second year in a row, been canceled as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the games fair is set to get an online event, unlike the 2020 edition.
Earlier reports have been confirmed. The E3 has been canceled again due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This information appeared in a report from the Los Angeles City Commission on Tourism and Conventions (via DSOGaming). It reveals that no live event will be held as part of E3 2021, but online streaming, which was missing last year, is being prepared. The commission's board is also in talks with the show's organizers, the ESA (Entertainment Software Association), about licensing the editions planned for 2022-23.
In 2020, major publishers held their own online events and showed that they can do without the E3 format. Some, like Sony and Activision, were already running broadcasts before the pandemic. It's hard to say if we'll see them at the virtual edition of the trade show this year.
Smaller developers can count on galas organized by other entities. According to DSOGaming journalist John Papadopoulos, Summer Game Fest, an event hosted by The Game Awards gala host Geoff Keighley, will be held again this year. Conventions sponsored by websites such as IGN or PC Gamer are also on the radar.