E3 2021 In-Person Has Apparently Been Canceled

It seemed to be a forgone conclusion, but it looks as though the chances of E3 2021 taking place in-person have now been dashed. According to new documents that have emerged from the City of Los Angeles (via VGC), E3 2021 has now been designated as a “cancelled live event” for this year. However, just because E3 won’t be able to take place as it normally might doesn’t mean it won’t happen altogether.

Despite the live iteration of E3 2021 now seemingly being canceled, The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which is the group that organizes the event, is still looking to have the digital iteration of the convention. Plans for this variant of the show were detailed in a new report that emerged earlier this month. At the time, the ESA still hadn’t given up on holding a live event for E3 2021 in June, but it was very much beginning to make plans in the likelihood that it wouldn’t come to fruition.

It’s worth noting that the ESA still has yet to make this cancellation of the live portion of E3 2021 official. And while that announcement will surely be coming soon, whenever the ESA does make this known to the public, it might have more details to share on the digital version of E3 2021. Last we had heard, the ESA was still in the process of trying to engage various developers and publishers from around the globe to take part in this virtual showcase.

As for the future of E3 as a whole, it looks like the ESA isn’t looking to do away with the convention altogether despite it not transpiring over the past two years. The City of Los Angeles notes that it’s already working on a license to hold the show once again in 2022 and 2023. So while E3 might look different this summer, a more “normal” version of the event might finally come about next year, assuming the coronavirus pandemic is done with by that time.

So how do you feel about all of this? Are you still just as excited for E3 2021, even though it won’t be happening in-person once again this year? Let me know your thoughts either down in the comments or over on Twitter at @MooreMan12.