E3 Goes Digital In 2021, Sony Isn't A Part Of It

E3 will make a return in 2021, organisers have confirmed. Taking place between online June 12th and 15th, the event already has the support of Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Konami, Capcom, Take-Two, Warner Bros, and Koch Media. 

Notably absent however is PlayStation, with Sony’s platform not included in this initial announcement. Sony skipped the annual gaming gathering in 2019 and 2020, so the absence of PlayStation shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. However, with the launch of the PlayStation 5 last November, a return wasn’t off the cards either.

The absence of PlayStation may be the biggest omission, however the likes of EA, Square Enix, and Activision Blizzard are also missing from the attendees list (per GamesIndustry.biz). Of course, we are two months away from the event so there is still time for this to change.

In a press release on Tuesday, event organisers, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) promised that developers would be “showcasing their latest news and games directly to fans around the world” over the course of the three-day event. Furthermore, the release also confirms that the new format E3 would be available to watch online for free.

"For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer,” says Stanley Pierre-Louis. The ESA CEO goes on to say that they plan to make the event “the indispensable center stage for video games”. 

Across the globe, the events industry has been hugely impacted by the ongoing pandemic. E3 2020 was cancelled last March, which compounded the poor situation the ESA found itself in with E3 following a significant loss of publisher support and backlash from the press following several security breaches.