E3 is all-digital this year, and Nintendo is back in, while Sony seems to stay out.

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.

Say what you will about "how behind the times" Nintendo is in... most things (especially post-GameCube and... can't completely blame them after that mess), they were ahead of the curve on how to announce games when they relied on Directs instead of E3 (and I still remember the mixed reception on that first move, from Adam Sessler being against it to Tom McShea supporting it).

Not needed but okay. I wonder if Sony has anything at all for 2021.

Phony's show would look like this...

Poo cows. :P

Sony will most likely do another Direct around that time. Sure they will have lots to show.

We'll see.

Tom Mcshea, there is a name I haven't heard in a while

Very nice to see Nintendo at E3. I’m thinking that they have some really big stuff to show there. Quite possibly this could be when they announce the long rumoured Switch “Pro”.

Yay, let's gawk at the shambling corpse of an obsolete 90s relic for one more year.

And yeah, Nintendo was ahead of their time in moving to Direct streams. Knowing Nintendo, though, they probably got there by accident. Maybe someone lost a bet, or accidentally swallowed a self awareness pill one day.

I think E3 is alot like the IPod. It was great back in the day, but now we can get what we want sent directly to our phones without all the unnecessary fluff and pageantry. It's dying because it was obsolete a decade ago.

Sweet, a show about games we already know about.

I'm glad nintendo will be in this e3!

Would be so nice to see Tom McShit rate the innevitable Zelda trailer a 7/10 live on stage 🙃

The next Legend of Zelda game and quite possibly an upgrade model for the Nintendo Switch is what's probably going to be on the card this year for the Big N

let the hate begin from non-gamers for the worlds best gaming event, that reveals new games and updates/ trailers on already announced titles

hah

People who kept saying that Sony isn't at E3 because they have nothing to show are clueless. It's simply economics. When did them having nothing to show ever stopped them from announcing titles or just with a title screen (GoW:R/Shenmue)? They have gone so far as to announce/reveal games when it didn't even entered the prototype state (Death Stranding).

Oh wow wonder why nintendo opt in, they already got huge views for their directs. We could have killed this event for good.

Jeez, it's all digital, easiest thing to do, not to is silly, even Nintendo is doing it because it's basically like hosting one of their gazillion streaming events.

I still hope on of these days with streaming services that instead of having playable demos locally they come up with a way where everyone can stream play over the duration of the event. Whoever makes that a reality could definitely benefit.

Sony probably had something planned already and doesn't want to be spread too thin. Of course Microsoft is going like the **ore they are.

Nintendo has said that an enhanced Switch system isn't coming "anytime soon".

https://mynintendonews.com/2021/02/01/nintendo-says-a-brand-new-switch-model-not-coming-anytime-soon/

@GameboyTroy: Well of course they’ll say that, until they officially announce it. They did the same thing with the Switch Lite.

@nintendoboy16: Strange, I would expect Nintendo to be the odd man out given that they normally try to distinguish themselves from Sony and Microsoft as much as possible when it comes to E3. My issue with this whole E3 online only is there will be lots of annoying ads and most of them aren't related to games.! Why does Sony need to be involved when they know they can do their own thing without E3? Why does anyone need E3 for that matter? E3 should be canceled forever, it's not needed. It's origin was to preview games to the press only so they could run back to their gaming magazines and write up articles about what they saw and that was the best thing about E3 back in the good old days before social media ruin it all and took the fun away. News flash, gaming magazines are dead & gone, and any company that wants to preview a game just releases a trailer on Twitter/Facebook.

E3 as of today has no reason to exist until people can gather together again whenever we can defeat covid-19 for good. Still, when times are better, I would like to see it coming back if given the chance, not much for the press, which is becoming irrelevant with each passing year, but for the cosplay and gaming community sure.

Edit: By the way, I'm surprised Konami is coming to E3 2021, can't say I expect anything coming from them other than a bunch of mobile game trash.

A digital E3 will suck, not watching until there is a live crowd in attendance, as anything else is just sterile & boring.

E3 is cool and all but teasing more games that may or may not ever see the light of day in 3-5 years kind of sucks when we have had such a long dry spell already.

I forgot to post this great gif...