The Entertainment Software Association officially cancelled the E3 2020 convention a month ago, but the organisation said it was “exploring options with our members to coordinate an online experience” in place of the show. But while a number of publishers have planned their own digital E3-style showcases, that broader “online experience” is not going to happen.
“Given the disruption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be presenting an online E3 2020 event in June,” an ESA representative tells PC Gamer. “Instead, we will be working with exhibitors to promote and showcase individual company announcements, including on www.E3expo.com, in the coming months. We look forward to bringing our industry and community together in 2021 to present a reimagined E3 that will highlight new offerings and thrill our audiences.”
Ubisoft and Microsoft both plan to host digital showcases this year, likely similar to the traditional E3 press conferences. Bethesda has confirmed that it will not host such a show. The ESA has told GamesIndustry.biz that it plans to run E3 next year, from June 15 to 17, 2021.
Even without Sony, E3 2020 was likely to have been a big one, with new consoles scheduled to launch later this year. We’re still likely to hear plenty about the expected E3 2020 games in the months to come, but as major releases like The Last of Us Part II get delayed, it remains to be seen how the coronavirus pandemic will affect the march of the games industry going forward.
For now, just stare at our list of upcoming PC games as the delays start rolling in.