E3 2021 details finally revealed: Here’s how the virtual show will work

By Giovanni Colantonio Published May 14, 2021

After months of speculation, the Entertainment Software Association has finally explained how E3 2021 will work. The virtual event will center around an app that serves as an online portal for the event.

The ESA confirmed details about the event in a new blog post. While this will be the show’s first all-digital event, the online portal is looking to bridge the gap by offering many of the expo’s hallmark experiences.

Recommended Videos

The show is scheduled to take place from Saturday, June 12, to Tuesday, June 15. The E3 app will open to media on June 7, while a public version will go live on June 12. Free registration is set to open later this month.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The app features virtual exhibitor booths, which will offer special events and videos. These will replace the physical booths that usually line the expo’s halls. Lounges and forums will also be included in the online hub, acting as social spaces where fans can connect and chat.

Social interaction is a big focus of this year’s show. Attendees will create their own custom profiles through the app. The event has been gamified and will include “leaderboards” that fans can compete on.

On top of all that, the app will feature live broadcasts. The show will still stream on all of E3’s major social channels, including Twitch and YouTube.

So far, the announcement seems to debunk previous reports that the show would feature some form of paywall. The ESA earlier took to E3’s Twitter account to deny the claims, writing that “E3’s 2021 digital show is a free event for all attendees.”

Topics

E3
Tech News

Giovanni Colantonio

Senior Gaming Editor

As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…

Gaming

Nintendo confirms that it won’t be part of E3 2023

Pikmin and Bulborb in Pikmin 4.

Nintendo has confirmed reports that it won't be participating in E3 2023, meaning the gaming trade show will be missing one of its key vendors when it returns in-person this June.
"We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans," a Nintendo spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. "Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA [Entertainment Software Association] and E3."
After taking 2020 and 2022 off and being digital-only in 2021, this year was supposed to mark the grand return of E3, which was once a dominant game industry trade show that attracted every big video game company. Although Sony hasn't participated since 2019, it still came as a shock in January when IGN reported that both Nintendo and Microsoft would not be attending E3 this year as well. It appears that the report is true, as Microsoft has not confirmed any E3-related events outside of its independently run Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase.
Nintendo skipping E3 2023 not only takes away a vendor that dominated the show floor in previous years, but also raises questions about whether or not the company will hold an exciting Nintendo Direct around then. While Nintendo typically holds a big showcase with lots of first-party game announcements around June every year, in 2022 it only held a third-party driven Partner Showcase in June. Now that we know it won't be at E3 2023, we're left to wonder when exactly then next big Nintendo Direct will be.
E3 2023 will take place between June 13 and June 16, but don't expect Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft to have a big presence there.

Gaming

Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft

Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimed the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

Gaming

Persona 3 Portable’s modern remaster shows how far the series has come

Persona 3 Portable Protagonists

In 2006, developer Atlus would pave its future with an important game release: Persona 3 for the PlayStation 2. It was a smash-hit, finally taking the JRPG series mainstream in a way that its first two games didn’t. Persona 3 laid the groundwork for what would eventually be Persona 5’s monumental mainstream success and Atlus’ crown jewel.

Now, fans have a chance to return to the groundbreaking RPG with its latest remaster, which brings its PlayStation Portable version, Persona 3 Portable, to modern platforms including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and PC. The rerelease lets new fans experience the genesis of now iconic gameplay systems like its influential social component and its “One More” battle system.