2020 is the first year without E3, ever since its inception in 1995. Many people within the gaming industry are very mixed regarding this – leading to much discussion whether we even need an E3, as it seemed like it was on its way out long before the global pandemic ensued. Sony had already confirmed they weren’t attending (again), Nintendo hasn’t had a live conference for years, and Game Awards host, Geoff Keighley, announced he wasn’t attending either. So everyone was asking the same question, do we need E3? Do we really need an annual that developers and publishers have to keep in mind every year in order to stay relevant? Or should they be able to showcase their games on their own terms?
In March, the ESA officially cancelled the event but have stood firm on the fact that there will be one in 2021. Ever since this cancellation, many online-only digital events have popped up to try and takes its place, including Summer Game Fest, IGN’s Summer of Gaming, Devolver’s Direct, as well as Xbox and Sony’s console showcases. All of these events combined have definitely given off the same kind of energy and excitement that E3 tends to bring upon people around the same time of year, except this time it’s over a much longer period.
The highlight for me (so far) has been the Playstation 5 reveal, as it actually had the hype building, mystery and reveals that a typical E3 conference would entail. It was the event that emulated the E3 experience perfectly, and only a few reveals and events have been able to capture it properly. Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest is a pretty close second, as it has all the reveals and presentation – just spread out over several months. IGN’s Summer of Gaming is too “personality-based” in my opinion – too much filler with people talking about things that people aren’t really tuning in to see, just watching because a game reveal or two might happen down the line.
As for the future, many of these events are still ongoing, and Xbox, Ubisoft and Devolver Digital all have events confirmed for later in the month. Whether these will embrace the magic of E3 or end up being duds is yet to be seen. However, one of the biggest questions still remains: Where is Nintendo? No Nintendo Direct has been officially announced at the time of writing, and they have no big releases for the end of the year. So what are they planning? They’ve revealed a few smaller games here and there throughout the year, but no “blockbuster game” for October/November time. I hope they are merely saving the “best until last” rather than genuinely having nothing to show. I guess like everything else here; only time will tell.
J. Glover 