E3 2021 is just 10 weeks away and we’ve still heard very little from The ESA regarding what this year’s event will (or won’t) entail. New reports now indicate that even if publishers and exhibitors opt to participate, they’ll be saving their bigger main reveals for other events outside of E3. These may come in the form of independent events, like Sony’s PlayStation State of Play and the Square Enix Presents showcase, or at other major industry events like gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, PAX, and as part of Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, which is returning again this year.
This comes by way of a much larger report from VGC on E3 2021 and The ESA’s plans for the event, including verified documents from a pitch deck that was sent to publishers and potential exhibitors. That report led to a kerfuffle between the E3 organizers and VGC as The ESA walked back plans for paid premium elements of E3 2021 amid the rather negative feedback, despite pitching premium paid packages to publishers as recently as weeks ago. As part of the report, VGC spoke with multiple publishing sources who indicated that they expected to have some content for the digital E3 2021, but that they would be reserving their bigger main reveals and announcements “for separate, independent digital events.” The cancellation of E3 2020, both as a physical and digital event, and the pandemic pushing everyone to stay at home last year helped publishers realize they...