E3 2021: is the digital event free or not?
E3 2021
It has already been known since February of this year that there will or cannot be an E3 with visitors on site in 2021. The corona pandemic, which is still rampant, still does not allow this. Therefore, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) decided to set up a purely digital event as a replacement - similar to BlizzCon earlier this year. In the meantime, however, the question has arisen whether the livestreams from E3 might be subject to a charge.The latest trigger for speculation of this kind was a report by the Video Games Chronicle magazine. This relies on unspecified but allegedly reliable sources. According to their information, ESA had planned to put certain content (streams, keynotes, etc.) of E3 2021 behind a paywall. Only by paying an unspecified amount would fans get access to it on their home screen. But in the meantime ESA has spoken out on Twitter and denied the report:
"The digital show of E3 2021 is a free event for all participants. We look forward to getting the real news to you very soon to be able to present at the event. "
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Recommended editorial content Here you will find external content from [PLATTFORM]. To protect your personal data, external integrations are only displayed if you confirm this by clicking on "Load all external content": Load all external content I agree that external content can be displayed to me. This means that personal data is transmitted to third-party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy . External content More on this in our data protection declaration. Anyway; In the meantime it has been finally clarified that you can follow the digital E3 2021 from your home screen without any costs.
Source: Twitter
Following leak, E3 confirms plans for “free” all-digital event in 2021
Aurich Lawson | Getty Images
While we've heard rumblings for months that the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) will return in some form following its 2020 meltdown and cancellation, a leak has clarified what the online-only 2021 version could look like—and has prompted its creators to confirm some of the leak's details.
'E3's 2021 digital show is a free event for all attendees,' the expo's official Twitter account posted on Thursday (and apparently not as an April Fool's prank). 'We're excited to fill you in on all the real news for the event very soon.'
Details about the leaked pitch document, obtained by Video Games Chronicle, were actually reposted by E3's Twitter account, suggesting they may very well be accurate. VGC reports that this pitch has been handed to game publishers by E3 organizer the Electronic Software Association to excite potential partners about biz-dev minutiae like 'B2B, B2M, and B2C objectives'—but also to insist that 'E3 2021 is not an in-person event turned virtual.'
Even though, from the sound of it, the event is exactly that. According to the leak, the renamed Electronic Entertainment Experience (still 'E3') could include keynote sessions, an awards show, a 'preview night,' and appointments for the usual attendees (business reps, journalists) to meet with game makers—only this time, all of that stuff would route through an official video-based app instead of a crowded convention hall in Los Angeles.
VGC claims that the ESA is interested in partnering with Nvidia in order to leverage the GeForce Now cloud-gaming service to stream exclusive, playable demos to E3's virtual attendees. VGC's language suggests no such deal has been finalized and that this plan isn't part of the leaked pitch document.
AdvertisementThere's some potential trickiness to this plan, however, especially in light of publishers yanking their software from GeForce Now shortly after its early 2020 launch. What makes them believe the same publishers would be fine with Nvidia getting exclusive stream-hosting rights to their E3 reveals? And how will the ESA handle that kind of political negotiation with so many game publishers, including ones like Microsoft who already operate their own streaming services? VGC doesn't suggest that the ESA has an answer there.
The ESA's tweet appears to soundly refute at least one suggestion from the leaked document: a possible paywall to access the virtual expo.
VGC cites 'sources' in claiming that the ESA has considered bundling portions of E3 2021 into a 'paid access pass,' which could include access to cloud-streamed demos or 'extra access' of some sort. But publishers have apparently pushed back on this part of the plan, and the ESA had already expressed willingness to back down from such a proposal during the planning phases.
The ESA's public statement may still offer some wiggle room for both extremes: 'a free event' with certain aspects held behind paid, virtual velvet ropes. (You know, like many of the free-to-play games published by ESA members.)
Thanks to the dissolution of E3 in 2020, which was already facing internal turmoil before succumbing to the realities of a pandemic, exactly how the ESA will spin its E3 wheels back up and get all of this organized—particularly the pitch for physical, filmed content in Los Angeles—remains unclear.Here's a gallery of E3 2019's oddest booths and products from the era when we went to physical expos. 'Wow, how nice and COOL!' we're sure you are saying to yourself.
Thermoreal uses superconductors (?!) to simulate a cold or hot feeling in metal. The company integrated this tech into VR-compatible gloves and a VR headset. As the VR environment changes, so does the sensation of real-life temperature. Trippy!
This 1000 mAh battery pack for the Switch was heavy, but the harness made it pretty easy to slide on and off to use only when it's needed.
Some extremely generic-looking custom chip boards for use in mini-arcade devices and portable emulation devices. If anybody reading this has the rights to the Atari Jaguar Mini, look them up.
The Tactsuit haptic system jolts your body when playing compatible VR games and software.
The Vuvana system has something to do with using a new blockchain cryptocurrency to buy and 'own' items in virtual reality, which you can view on a cell phone with this included viewer, apparently.
Oversized controllers were all the rage at E3 2019, but this one went to the trouble of building in a monitor for its game, Street Fighter 2.
Remember the iCade Mini? Someone sure does...
GameBoks is just like it sounds—a wooden box that houses a monitor, power supply, and a space to hold and connect your game console. Between this and the new Atari VCS, wood paneling is apparently the hot new retro-hardware trend.
Proximat is being sold as a 'mousepad for your virtual reality feet.' It gives VR players a physical indication of their play space's center point, complete with high-grade gel for foot comfort.
If this is a thing you're looking for (for some reason), E3 has you covered.
Amazingly, a product with '360 ONE X' in its name has nothing to do with Xbox (it's a 360-degree camera designed for VR).
Neither vinyl nor fidget spinners were dead at E3 2019.
I need some quick energy after seeing all of these amazing products. It's my lucky day!
How do you make money selling $100 worth of stuff for $40? It's an economic miracle!
This balance board is mainly meant for some easy exercise while at a standing desk, but its producers were marketing it to gamers with a Mortal Kombat 11 display.
And the award for 'most dystopian sounding slogan at E3' goes to...
'In the 1989 Future' is a legitimately great tagline, we have to admit.
