The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have officially announced the dates for E3 2021- after the cancellation of E3 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic- while IGN have announced they will host a “Summer of Gaming” this year.
Even prior to the coronavirus pandemic, E3 2020 had gotten off to a rocky start. Sony announced on January 13th they would be skipping E3 for the second time. Geoff Keighley also announced he would be skipping E3 2020 for the first time in 25 years.
When asked on Twitter what fueled his decision not to participate, Keighley replied, “A ton of factors, I just don’t really feel comfortable participating given what I know about the show as of today.”
In March 2020, creative production company iam8bit announced they would not be involved with E3 2020. Earlier reports also announced that E3 2020 would be a “new and revitalized experience.”
E3 2020 was officially cancelled in March, numerous companies (including Microsoft, Devolver Digital, and Ubisoft, but not Bethesda) announced they would be hosting their own digital events around the time E3 2020 would have happened.
Now, the ESA have announced (via GamesIndustry.biz) the dates for E3 2021, most likely to reaffirm confidence in the event. E3 2021 will run from June 15th, 2021, to June 17th. Once again, the ESA have stated the event will be “reimagined.”
While no location was confirmed, it is likely the event will occur at the Los Angeles Convention Center as prior events have.
In addition, IGN have announced they will be hosting a “Summer of Gaming” event in June 2020. A stand-in for E3 2020, IGN state they “will be collaborating with a number of partners for the Summer of Gaming, including 2K, Square Enix, SEGA, Bandai Namco, Amazon, Google Stadia, Twitter, Devolver Digital, THQ Nordic, and more.”
The event will cover live broadcasts, as well as IGN’s own coverage. More details are to come.
The coronavirus pandemic (also known as COVID-19 officially, or Chinese Flu to others) has affected many worldwide, from businesses to public gatherings and events. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. This includes the postponement of GDC, and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, along with aforementioned cancellation of E3 2020, and Comiket 98.
The Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering are mapping the virus’ spread [1, 2]. As of this time of writing, there have been over 1.1 million total confirmed cases worldwide, and over 844,000 active cases. There have been over 60,000 deaths, however over 233,000 people have made a “total recovery.”
Once again, E3 2021 will run from June 15th, 2021, to June 17th.
Image: e3expo.com, Twitter
