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    E3 is going digital this summer, will return in person next year

    E3 is going digital this summer, will return in person next year

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    The ‘all-virtual’ event takes place in June

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    Illustration of the E3 logo
    Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

    E3 2021 will take place June 12th-15th this year as a free, “reimagined, all-virtual” event, the Entertainment Software Association announced today. Organizers announced that the lineup includes companies such as Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, and Warner Bros. Games. Sony is notably missing from that list so far.

    E3, gaming’s biggest annual conference in North America, typically takes place in downtown LA every June and attracts a mix of developers, press, and consumers. Last year’s event was canceled in April due to COVID-19. In its absence, Geoff Keighley launched Summer Game Fest in partnership with many developers to deliver game reveals and news; the digital event is also returning this June.

    E3 is expected to resume in person next summer.

    ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis says the organization is “evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event” that will still include game reveals and news. The organization confirmed in February that it would hold an online event only this year.