E3 2021: Everything You Need to Know (So Far)

E3 2021 is officially happening, after the 2020 expo (along with most major events around the world) was cancelled due to the pandemic. In E3’s place last summer, many developers, publishers, and games media personalities quickly pivoted to hosting online events, in order to keep the discussions and excitement going about upcoming titles.

While E3 is returning this year for a four-day long event, it was announced all of the live press conferences will be held entirely online. Despite the virtual showcase, ESA President Stanley Pierre-Louis said, “E3 2021 is set to continue its legacy as the premier video game industry event as we add new publishers, sponsors and partners.” There are several companies that have already been confirmed for E3 2021, some that have opted out of the event altogether, and several games we’re expecting to see. We’ve pulled together everything you need to know about E3 2021 so far and will update this article should anything change.

The Dates:

E3 2021 will take place from Saturday, June 12th to Tuesday, June 15th.

How to Watch:

In 2021, it’ll be difficult for viewers to find a popular social media platform that won’t be streaming E3. This year, you’ll be able to watch the conferences on E3’s official YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, and Facebook, as well as the individual companies’ respective media platforms. E3 will also have an online portal (detailed below) where you can watch the show.

The Attendees:

Microsoft

The Xbox keynote is where we’re expecting some of the biggest announcements this year, especially given Microsoft’s recent acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks (Fallout) and other notable studios such as Arkane (Dishonored), id Software (Doom), MachineGames (Wolfenstein), and more. We already expect to see the usual suspects a the Xbox event- a new Forza, a release date for Halo Infinite, and spotlighting a few previously-announced indie titles- but Xbox can really steal the show with some surprises. Given the new Bethesda-Xbox union, it only makes sense that we’ll see Bethesda up on the stage during the show too. Hopefully we’ll finally get an update on Starfield, which was recently confirmed by VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb to be an Xbox and PC exclusive.

From its growing Game Pass subscription service to now having 23 first-party studios under its belt, Microsoft is already positioning the Xbox Series X|S to have an impressive and profitable console generation, and I think we’ll get our first real glimpse of what’s on the horizon during E3.

Nintendo

Similar to Microsoft, the Nintendo event is where we also have high expectations for some big announcements. Nintendo has hosted its own Nintendo Direct streams for years now, and there hasn’t been any news that this will change for E3 2021.

Nintendo already has several previously-announced projects in the works that we’re expecting to see more of during E3, particularly Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4, both of which were announced in 2017. As far other Nintendo announcements, we’re certainly expecting more news about Pokemon Legends Arceus and the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The latter was first teased during a Nintendo Direct in 2019, and for the most part, development news has been pretty quiet. Earlier this year, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma assured fans everything is “proceeding smoothly and we should be able to bring you some new information this year.”

Ubisoft

Ubisoft is once again going to host its Ubisoft Forward event, this time as part of E3. The online keynote will kick off the E3 weekend, starting on June 12 at 12pm PST / 3pm EST. It’s unclear what Ubisoft will be showing, but it’s a safe bet we’ll see more trailers and gameplay for Rainbow Six: Quarantine and an update on the recently-delayed Far Cry 6. Ubisoft also has projects in the works that haven’t had development news in a while, including Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Skull and Bones. Both were announced during Ubisoft’s E3 2017 conference, and Skull and Bones was thought to be releasing for last-gen consoles. The last major update Ubisoft provided for the game was in September 2020, in which the Skull and Bones’ Creative Director Elisabeth Pellen stated “production of the game has been in full swing with a new vision.” Pellen continued, saying “We’re proud of the work we’ve done and we hope you will be too when you see more of Skull & Bones at our comeback next year.”

Square Enix

Square Enix’s E3 showings have been a mixed bag over the years in terms of expected announcements, as the Final Fantasy publisher keeps most news under wraps until close to the event. So far, the only thing we know for sure is that president Yosuke Matsuda has confirmed Square Enix will, in fact, be in attendance. Despite the vagueness surrounding the upcoming show, Square Enix has plenty of upcoming titles- Final Fantasy 16, part two of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Life is Strange: True Colors- that could be featured at E3.

Capcom:

With several successful games in just the last couple of years, Capcom is having a full-blown renaissance at the moment that shows no sign of slowing down in 2021, into 2022. The first half of 2021 alone has already been successful, with the release of Monster Hunter Rise and the recent release of Resident Evil Village. The Resident Evil franchise has seen a major revival with the release of Biohazard (2017), the remake of Resident Evil 3 (2020), and now Village. It’d be great if Capcom kept the momentum going at E3 2021 by finally revealing the long-rumored Resident Evil 4 remake.

Other Confirmed E3 2021 Attendees:
Activision
Sega
Bandai Namco
Gearbox Entertainment
Take-Two Interactive
Warner Bros. Games
Koch Media

Not Attending:

Sony:

Sony has been unenthusiastic about E3 for a few years now and finally opted out of the showcase entirely in 2019. This year will be much of the same, as Sony has no plans to participate in the show. The company has been focusing on its own State of Play Events separate from E3, which became increasingly popular last summer leading up to the release of The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima. This year, though Sony won’t be on the E3 stage, we could see another State of Play (or something similar to the PlayStation 5 showcase) to highlight some of its upcoming, first-party titles like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok.

Konami:

Another publisher we won’t be seeing at E3 is Konami. Konami was scheduled to present but recently pulled out of the event “due to timing”. Despite the sudden change, Konami wanted to reassure fans that a number of key projects are in development, and more information will be coming soon.

EA:

EA announced an EA Play Live event for July 22 (no time yet), which is well outside of the dates for E3 2021. Despite EA’s absence at E3, we’re still expecting to see a teaser, if not a full-length trailer for Battlefield 6 some time in June.

The E3 2021 Online Portal & App

E3 announced its online portal and app (available for iOS and Android) will be a “key hub for the duration of the show” and will include virtual exhibitor booths, events, forums and more. Media access to the hub will begin on Monday, June 7th, and public access will follow during the first day of the E3 broadcast on June 12. You can read more information about the E3 portal and app here.