The first reports of an online E3 2021 came out earlier this year, and it’s all true, folks. E3 2021 will officially return in June 2021 from 12 to 15 June 2021 in online form.

Confirmed participates thus far are Nintendo, Microsoft Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media, with more expected to be announced in the future. However, Sony PlayStation and EA are notably absent yet again, just like they were in previous years.

In an official statement, ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said:

“For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games.

We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”

There are very little detail and information about the upcoming event so far, but according to GamesIndustry.biz, E3 2021 may focus on media-exclusive days and streaming technology.

Last year, Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest and Opening Night Live were probably the biggest gaming events of 2020.

In light of these juggernauts, can even the likes of E3 return and survive, much less thrive? Is E3 even relevant anymore in this new era of gaming or is it a remnant of yesteryear? If E3 2021 does happen, it will be a test of how what was once the biggest gaming convention on the planet will be able to continue justifying its significance in this day and age.

It looks like we’ll have to wait and see what the gaming landscape will be like this year.