Everything you need to know about E3
E3 is one of the biggest trade events for the video game industry and it takes place annually. After skipping 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak, in 2021 one might wonder "Is E3 canceled?". No, E3 is not canceled and was held this year! However, E3 was in the form of a digital event. In this aàrticle, we will discuss some of the key information about the event, as well as the schedule and the developers that showed up - but also all the other events during the month of June. So if you want to
General Information
What is E3?
E3 is the acronym for Electronic Entertainment Expo. It is held annually in Los Angeles and some of the most famous companies in the industry will be present.
Sony Entertainment (PlayStation), as well as Electronic Arts didn’t attend the event - the two companies have their own showcases (State of Play for Sony and EA Play Live for Electronic Arts).
When is E3 2021?
In 2021, E3 took place from June 12th to June 15th. However, there are plenty of other events, making the whole month of June a gaming month.
Where to watch E3 2021?
Those who wanted to watch E3 will have different options. The event streamed on its official accounts on YouTube, Twitch, FaceBook, and Twitter. Here is the full list of the distribution services:
Fan registration for participating opened on June 3rd, 2021.
Attendees
Except for Sony and Electronic Arts, who attended in 2021? Here is the full list of the companies that participated (alphabetical order):
Activision Publishing Inc., Amazon Game Studios, Bad Button Studio, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., Bethesda Softworks, Capcom USA Inc., Click Entertainment, DvG, Deep Silver Inc., Epic Games Inc., Funcom, GAMELOFT, GFUEL, GTR Simulator, GungHo Online Entertainment America, HORI USA, Hyperkin Inc., Kalypso, Media Group, KontrolFreek, Limited Run Games, LGA Enterprises, NCSOFT, nDreams, NEXT LEVEL RACING, Nintendo of America Inc., NVIDIA, PureArts, Oculus from Facebook, RDS Industries Inc., Rebellion, SEGA, Square Enix Inc., Take-Two Interactive Software, Tastemakers, TECHNISPORT, THQ Nordic, Ubisoft Entertainment SA, UnnamedVR by Paracosma, Warner Bros. Games, Xbox, XSEED Games, Xsolla.
2021’s edition of E3 was great!
June Showcases
Here’s the complete schedule for June (including E3 live).
June 3rd - Warhammer Skulls
Formerly known as the Warhammer ‘Skulls for the Skull Throne’ event, now called Warhammer Skulls, is an annual event by Games Workshop. It was a week-long event, available for streaming on Twitch at 10am PT (1pm ET) on June 3rd.
Announcement: Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters (coming in 2022).
June 5th
There were three major events on this date:
Indie Live Expo
Indie Live Expo is Japan’s biggest event for Indie video games. This third edition streamed on YouTube at 2am PT (5am ET) on June 5th and introduced over 300 upcoming indie games, as well as indie games selected by media partners and even a live music performance by Dainashi & Shamio.
Biggest Announcements: Palworld, The Good Life, Spiritle, OU, Brave’s Rage, Idol Manager, A Guidebook Of Babel, Dice Legacy. Check out the full list. Guerrilla Collective 2
Guerrilla Collective 2 focuses on indie and mid-size games and in 2021 the second edition of the event was held. This two-day event took place on June 5th and June 12th. There were over announced 80 games. The event live-streamed on Twitch on June 5th at 8am PT (11am ET) and on June 12th at 8am PT (11am ET) as well.
Biggest Announcements: Sable, No Longer Home, Firegirl, Demon Turf, Unmetal, Serial Cleaners, Hello Neighbor 2. You can check the full list for Day One and Day Two online. Black Voices in Gaming
Partnered with Guerrilla Collective 2 and right after their streaming, fans were able to watch Black Voices in Gaming on Twitch. This event was dedicated to games from Black developers and Black protagonists in video games. The stream started at 10am PT (1pm ET).
Biggest names: Anew: Distant Light, Kung Fu kickball, ValiDate, She dreams elsewhere, The Celestial Tear: Demon’s Revenge, Super Space Club, Onsen Master. The full list is available on the official website.
June 9th - Battlefield 2042 reveal
As mentioned above, Electronic Arts will hold their own showcase called EA Play Live on July 22nd, 2021. However, EA held a separate event on June 9th at 7am PT (10 ET) to reveal Battlefield 2042 (previously referred to by fans as Battlefield 6). At the end of the trailer, the date for a gameplay reveal was given: June 13th, and the Battlefield 2042 release date has been given as the 22nd October 2021. Battlefield 2042 will not have a single-player mode and will focus on multiplayer.
June 10th - Summer Game Fest: Kick off Live
On June 10th at 11am PT (1pm ET) Geoff Keighley hosted a two-hour livestream to mark the beginning of the Summer Game Fest 2021 (end July 22nd). Presented by Prime Games, you will be able to watch it on the official website as well as on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook.
Devolver Digital broadcasted their showcase on June 12th at 1:30pm PT (4:30pm ET). The studio announced: Shadow Warrior 3 (trailer), Trek To Yomi, Phantom Abyss, Wizard With A Gun, Death's Door, Inscryption, Devolver Tumble Time, and Demon Throttle.
Biggest announcements: Elden Ring, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Jurassic World Evolution 2, Death Stranding (Director's Cut), Metal Slug Tactics, Bloodhunt.
June 11th
Two major events took place on June 11th:
Koch Primetime Gaming Stream
This event was a part of the Summer Game Fest. Koch Media, which owns the rights of Saints Row, Metro Exodus, and Timesplitters, among others, hosted it on June 11 at 12pm PT (3pm ET). Fans were able to watch it on Twitch.
Announcements: Payday 3, Scars Above, Painkiller 2, Crossfire: Legion, Gungrave G.O.R.E., King’s Bounty 2, Codename Final Form, The Last Oricru, Dolmen, Encased, Echoes of the End, and The Chant.
IGN Expo
In partnership with Kick off Live, IGN Expo went more in-depth with the details of the games announced on the first showcase. The event was held on June 11 at 1pm PT (4pm ET) and was available to watch live on YouTube.
June 16th to 22nd - Steam Next Fest
Formerly known as Steam Game Festival, this year’s edition will start on June 16 at 10am PT (1pm ET) and promises to feature “hundreds” of demos.
E3
It is now time to dive into the E3 showcases!
June 12th - Ubisoft Forward
The usual Ubisoft Forward showcase was held on June 12 at 12pm PT (3pm ET). The Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction release date was announced (a name change from Rainbow Six Quarantine) - September 16, 2021, another Far Cry 6 gameplay trailer was shown, and a new Avatar game: Avatar Frontiers of Pandora was shown.
Announcements for Upcoming games: Rainbow Six Extraction, Rocksmith+, Riders Republic, Far Cry 6, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
June 13th
Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase
The 90-minute broadcast took place on June 13 at 10am PT (1pm EDT) - The Bethesda - Microsoft partnership promised an “epic gaming lineup” and fans weren’t disappointed (unless you were hoping for Elder Scrolls 6 news). There were new trailers for Halo Infinite and Halo Infinite Multiplayer, and a Halo Infinite release date of Holiday 2021 was given. Besides Halo, a Starfield trailer was shown, the Forza Horizon 5 trailer was shown and many more. You can see the full showcase below:
Announcements: Starfield, STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, Back 4 Blood, Contraband, Sea of Thieves, Twelve Minutes, Psychonauts 2, Battlefield 2042 (cinematic trailer), Fallout 76 updates, Diablo 2: Resurrected (remaster), Slime Rancher 2, Shredders, Atomic Heart, Replaced, The Outer Worlds 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 5, Redfall, Halo Infinite. Square Enix
The company brought some exciting news.
Announcements: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda expansion, new trailer for Babylon’s Fall, updates on Life is Strange Remastered Collection, Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin (Final Fantasy spin-off).
Warner Bros
The company’s presence was confirmed for June 13th. Warner Bros have some big titles that fans are impatient to hear more about, such as Hogwarts Legacy, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and Gotham Knights. However, the company focused exclusively on Back 4 Blood.
PC Gaming Show
The showcase came with some great announcements. Check the list below
Biggest announcements: Rawmen, They always run, Far: Changing Tides, Next Space Rebels, Soulstice, and Lemnis Gate.
Future Games Show
A double-header with the PC Gaming Show, the Future Games Show took place on June 13th.
Biggest Announcements: Instinction, Grow: Song of the Evertree, Jurassic World Evolution 2, Sonic Colors Ultimate, Immortality, Red Solstice 2: Survivors, Lake, Eldest Souls.
June 14th
Here are the events for June 14th:
Capcom
Here’s what the studio announced:
Announcements: New content for Resident Evil 8: Village, extra content for Monster Hunter Rise and Stories 2, a new trailer for The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.
Limited Run Games
Limited Run Games’ showcase was pre-recorded and broadcasted at 1pm PT (4pm EDT). The company works with Bethesda - which has been acquired by Microsoft - and the partnership between Microsoft and Limited Run Games has been officialized.
Physical versions for: Axiom Verge 2 (Switch, PS4, PS5), BloodRayne, Betrayal: Fresh Bites (Switch, PS4), Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood (PS4), Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (Turbo Duo), Contra Anniversary Collection (Switch, PS4), DOUBLE DRAGON & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle (Switch), DUSK (Switch, PS4), Ghoul Patrol (Switch, PS4, SNES), Going Under (Switch, PS4), Haven (Switch, PS4, PS5), Huntdown: Collector’s Edition (Switch, PS4), One Step From Eden (Switch, PS4), Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties (Switch, PS4, PS5, PC), République: Anniversary Edition (Switch, PS4, PlayStation VR), Retromania Wrestling (Switch, PS4), RWBY: Grimm Eclipse (Switch), SkateBIRD (Switch, PS4), Strife (Switch), SUPERHOT (Switch, PS4), and The TakeOver (Switch, PS4).
Razer Keynote
This showcase streamed at 3pm PT (6pm ET).
Product Announcements: Razer's Predator 27, Razer Blade 14, Razer USB-C 130W GaN Charger.
June 15th - Nintendo
Nintendo Direct aired on June 15th at 9 am PT (12pm ET) and was 40-minutes long.
Announcements: Mario Party Superstars, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, WarioWare: Get It Together!, Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Shin Megami Tensei V, Life is Strange: True Colors, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Metroid Dread. For more information about these titles see the Nintendo website.