The reopening of the economy can’t come soon enough for E3

The E3 video game conference, also known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, returned from a one-year absence this week with a virtual conference. Organizers canceled last year’s in-person E3 in Los Angeles because of the Covid-19 pandemic and took this year’s show online because of the continuing health crisis.
Judging from reactions to this year’s digital E3, the conference sorely needs a physical show to build excitement for the video game industry. Attendees said this year’s show was a boring, nonevent.
This year’s E3 was missing some major companies, including Activision Blizzard. Electronic Arts and Sony. And Take-Two Interactive Software only hosted a panel discussion on diversity and inclusion, instead of discussing new games. Other companies holding events during the show didn’t make any major announcements.
“The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has become less relevant in recent years, and the irrelevancy has accelerated with the pandemic,” BMO Capital Markets analyst Gerrick Johnson said in a June 15 report.
Johnson said E3 2021 didn’t reflect the vibrancy of the industry today.
“While there were fewer new game introductions owing to lower E3 participation rates, the industry still looks to be publishing a bumper crop of next-gen AAA titles in 2021 and 2022,” he said.
Some of the most anticipated new games were teased with new trailers at E3 2021. They included Microsoft’s “Halo Infinite,” set for release later this year, and Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2,” due out in 2022.
Meanwhile, the show’s organizer, the Entertainment Software Association, plans to return to Los Angeles for an in-person event for E3 2022. But ESA doesn’t have the dates confirmed yet.

Related reading:

For years, E3 has been gaming’s biggest event. Is that still true? (Washington Post; June 18, 2021)

E3 2021’s lack of AAA reveals let indie games take the spotlight (TechRadar; June 17, 2021)

The games industry has changed; E3 needs to do the same if it is to remain relevant (Midia Research; June 21, 2021)


Photo: E3 2021 art (Entertainment Software Association)