The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) said it will livestream video to its broadest audience ever when the online-only event takes place June 12 to June 15.
The Entertainment Software Association, which puts on the big game trade show every year, said that it has a massive global list of committed video distribution sources so that E3 2021 can reach a broader audience. Now, we just have to figure out if the game companies have many games to show, as many of the big titles have been delayed because of the pandemic. We’ll find out if the center of the industry will hold together as we go through what is hopefully the last online-only summer.
The video platforms include Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook Gaming, TikTok, VENN, Steam, Reddit, Entertainment Weekly, Webedia, WeChat, Bilibili, and AfreecaTV. They have signed on to officially broadcast E3 programming across their channels and services, allowing fans, media and industry professionals to tune into and engage with E3 2021 from anywhere around the world. Of those on the list, VENN is a new channel that will be debuting content from E3 for the first time.
In collaboration with E3, each live streaming and video content service will broadcast E3 events and activities live, and each social media site will execute campaigns around the event that are relevant to their user base.
EAS CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said in a statement that this is the first time that E3 will be freely available across all of these major services, allowing the event to reach game fans around the world.
E3 2021 will be filled with four days of programming hosted by iconic personalities from the video game world, with major reveals, press conferences, industry showcases, and more. Many major companies are joining E3, including Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros., Koch Media, Square Enix, Sega, Bandai Namco, Gearbox, Verizon, Xseed Games/Marvelous USA, Freedom Games, Devious Eye Entertainment, Turtle Beach, and Binge.com.
Some big companies, such as Activision Blizzard, Sony, and Electronic Arts, are not participating in E3, but they will likely make appearances elsewhere to show off their games. Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest will feature most of the big companies except Nintendo in an event on June 10.