The Entertainment Software Association’s video game trade show E3 is arguably the most important event for gamers every calendar year. With the cancellation of E3 2020 due to the coronavirus, there are high expectations for E3 2021 following an unprecedented year for the industry.
Amid a global pandemic, semiconductor shortage that has affected all corners of the industry, and (of course) highly anticipated titles to be announced, there is a lot of uncertainty leading up to the event. Just like every E3 before, speculation runs rampant leading up to the event, but this year feels a little different: after a year of unknowns, gamers are hungry for some glimpse of positivity, and E3 2021 has an opportunity to be the best event in recent memory.
When is E3 2021?
E3 2021 will begin Saturday, June 12, and end Tuesday, June 15. Due to the global pandemic, E3 2021 will be completely virtual, free, and anyone can attend the event from the comfort of their home. The E3 app, which is available on both ios and Android, will be a hub for different conferences and streams. Like previous years, conferences will be available on Twitch, YouTube, and other major streaming platforms.
Who will be at E3 2021?
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Sony announced it would not be attending E3. A spokesperson cited last year that Sony didn’t feel the vision of E3 wasn’t the right venue for the company. The event was inevitably canceled, but Sony is sticking to their guns a year later. While Sony will not be part of the E3 2021 lineup, the summer of gaming doesn’t end with just E3, and a Sony exclusive event is anticipated.
Some of the bigger developers and publishers that will be at E3 2021 include Nintendo, Microsoft, Bethesda Softworks, Sega, Capcom, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Games, Activision, Epic Games, and plenty of other industry-leading companies.
Nintendo E3 2021 Preview
This year’s Nintendo E3 conference could be one of the most important for the company, especially off the heels of the incredible success of the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite, which has sold over 84 million units to date.
When considering the global semiconductor shortage and Nintendo’s continued output of the Switch, rumors of a Switch Pro may seem implausible, almost crazy, but gamers are already dreaming of what a 4K Switch could look like.
Rumors of a Switch Pro have been circulating within the gaming community for months, and an E3 reveal would break the internet. Pair a potential Switch Pro announcement with new titles, and you have a recipe for success.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was truly an unprecedented Zelda game, the first to embrace an open world format. While criticism of the game was few and far between, a more cohesive and embracing storyline for a second Breath of the Wild could lead to more success for the sequel.
The icing on the cake for Nintendo’s E3 2021 showcase could come in the form of some updates for the potential open-world Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Metroid Prime 4 (which was announced four years ago), new content for Animal Crossing: New Horizons (long overdue), a Donkey Kong title, and Mario Odyssey 2.
Nintendo proved with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that it can successfully create open-world games with beloved franchises, so it would be refreshing to see other Nintendo titles follow suit.
Nintendo Switch The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Video Game
Microsoft/Bethesda E3 2021 Preview
Just weeks before E3 2021 is slated to kick-off, Microsoft announced it would hold a joint conference with Bethesda. In hindsight, the announcement isn’t surprising. In early 2021, Microsoft completed the $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda Softworks, the studio behind The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series.
Microsoft now has 23 game studios under its belt, which work in harmony with Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service that provides a rotating catalog of games for a monthly subscription. With Bethesda under the Microsoft umbrella, future titles will almost certainly be Xbox exclusives.
At E3 2021, Bethesda’s ascent into the heavens could be solidified with an update on Starfield, an open-world space adventure game in development. At E3 2018, Bethesda also teased The Elder Scrolls VI, but the less than a minute “trailer” left a lot to be desired. While the studio has its hands full with Starfield, an Elder Scrolls update would go a long way for fans of the beloved franchise.
It wouldn’t be a Microsoft E3 update without some sort of Halo update. Last summer, gamers were shocked when Xbox’s franchise series was delayed. Citing COVID-19 related impacts, 343 Industries announced Halo Infinite would be delayed until fall 2021.
While the news was hard to stomach for Xbox and Halo fans alike (banter inevitably followed by Sony and Playstation fans), Halo Infinite’s launch needs to be sublime for the continued success of the Xbox.
With Microsoft putting many chips on the table into Xbox Game Pass, Halo Infinite’s launch on Game Pass will help propel subscriptions into the new year. A much-anticipated multiplayer reveal at E3 2021 could revive much-needed hype around Halo Infinite leading into the fall.
The E3 2021 Takeaway
E3 2021 has the potential to be a memorable event for the gaming industry, especially after a tumultuous year filled with unknowns and uncertainties for gamers. There will be a plethora of content revealed beyond just what Nintendo and Microsoft are bringing, and the 3-day event will offer fans from all facets of the industry something to look forward to in the near future. Whether you’re a fan of first person shooters, open world titles, platformers, indie games, RPGs, and other niche genres, E3 is the place for you.
Expectations and hype around events are always tricky to manage emotionally. Previous E3 conferences have fallen short of expectations, while some blew the crowd away.
Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing: New Horizons Video Game
This year, however, feels different. At kick-off, it’ll be two years since an E3 event. That’s two years of anticipation amid a global pandemic, a new generation of consoles, and a semiconductor shortage that has affected all corners of the industry. The pandemic has also brought a new generation of gamers, an amalgamation of more time at home, new consoles, and the success of games like Animal Crossing.
E3 2021 has some serious expectations to meet. The all-virtual event will be the first of its kind – a clean slate into what the gaming industry can offer for the foreseeable future.
