Events are rapidly gaining steam in advance of this June's Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, returning in 2021 as an all-digital event after 2020's cancelation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Media registration is already underway, and influencers and industry types will soon be able to join too. Public registration is due to open up after that, meaning it's time to learn when E3 will actually kick off and how to tune in.
Although Sony will be conspicuously absent from E3 - as it has been since 2019 - a number of important partners have signed on. Chief among these are Microsoft and Nintendo, with Microsoft having Bethesda in tow for the first time. Some other major publishers onboard include Capcom, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Warner Bros., and Sega. On top of that, gear makers like Razer and Turtle Beach will have various products of their own to show. More businesses could sign up in the next two weeks, though that may not be much time to prepare material.
E3 2021 begins on June 12, and runs through June 15. Fan registrations are slated to start June 3. At that point, the public should be able to download an updated E3 app for iOS and Android. In fact, people should avoid the version currently on app stores, which hasn't changed since 2019. Once it's ready, the updated app should provide a schedule and alerts for events, and possibly some unique content. At one point it was rumored that some E3 content would be gated behind a paywall, something the Entertainment Software Association quickly denied.
E3 Will Be Everywhere - Not Just In Apps
Gamers and press won't necessarily need the E3 website or app to follow along. Streaming will take place via official Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook channels, as well as any number of news sites, some of which should be providing live commentary. The purpose of the expo, after all, is publicity - and it's all the more important to offer multiple ways to watch if no one can visit a conference center in Los Angeles.
An in-person gathering could be possible for 2022, assuming E3 isn't canceled permanently. Most or all attendees should be vaccinated by then, but the expo has been in decline for years, owing to the fact that with widespread broadband, companies can host their own livestreams without needing to follow E3's rules or structure. Sony, for instance, hosts State of Play events whenever the timing and content are right.
Source: ESA