E3 2021
The Electronic Entertainment Experience 2021 was the 26th and final E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products. The event, organized by the Entertainment Software Association, ran as a virtual, online-only event with free access to all, from June 12–15, 2021.
Virtual events included keynote sessions from major publishers broadcast from a live stage in Los Angeles, an awards show, and a preview night, as well as helping companies to hold online private meetings with media and businesses. Because of the online-only nature, the event had been rebranded for the year as the Electronic Entertainment Experience rather than the standard Electronic Entertainment Expo. Greg Miller, Jacki Jing, and Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez served as hosts of the virtual events.
E3 2021 followed the cancelled E3 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic and after the ESA could not work out a replacement event in time. The ESA had intended to hold an in person event in 2021 during its normal June dates, as stated to partners in April 2020, but had to alter their plans due to COVID-19 concerns. E3 2021 was free for everyone to attend. While the 2021 event was entirely online, ESA planned to return to an in-person event by 2022, though these plans were scrapped and the in-person event was cancelled in January 2022, and E3 2022 was cancelled altogether on March 31, 2022, including the digital event. In July 2022, it was confirmed that E3 2023 would mark a return to the in-person event. However, the lack of interest and attendance of major publishers caused the event to be cancelled as well, leading to the announcement of the event's official discontinuation in December 2023.
Companies that participated at the event included Nintendo, Microsoft, Capcom, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Koch Media, Square Enix, Sega, Gearbox Software, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Turtle Beach, Verizon, and Xseed Games. Konami had planned to participate but announced later they would not be ready to present at E3 as they were deep into development on several projects which they would reveal at a later time.
Online events
To host the online event, the ESA offered a mobile app and online portal to the public. Members of the media and press had access to this app and portal on June 7, for a media access week prior to the event. The public obtained access on June 12. The app and portal were used for accessing game showcases, developer panels, and press conferences, with some of this content also mirrored onto streaming services. Members of the media were able to register for access starting on May 24, while industry professionals and creators and influencers were able to register on May 31. General members of the public were able to register on June 3.Press conferences
Ubisoft
livestreamed its Ubisoft Forward E3 video event on June 12, 2021, at 12 p.m. PDT. Games covered during the event included Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction, Rocksmith+, Riders Republic, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Just Dance 2022, Far Cry 6, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.Gearbox Software
held its E3 spotlight on June 12, 2021, at 2 p.m. PDT., providing more info on Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Godfall, Homeworld 3, Tribes of Midgard and a look at the Borderlands film.Microsoft/Bethesda
and Bethesda Softworks held a joint press conference on June 13, 2021, at 10 a.m. PDT. Games presented included Starfield, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Back 4 Blood, Contraband, Sea of Thieves, Battlefield 2042, 12 Minutes, Psychonauts 2, Fallout 76, The Elder Scrolls Online, Party Animals, Hades, Somerville, Halo Infinite, Diablo II Resurrected, A Plague's Tale: Requiem, Far Cry 6, Slime Rancher 2, Atomic Heart, Replaced, Grounded, Among Us, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, The Ascent, The Outer Worlds 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 5 and Redfall.Square Enix
held a press event on June 13, 2021, at 12:15 p.m. PDT. Games announced included Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, remasters of Final Fantasy I through Final Fantasy VI, Legend of Mana, Marvel's Avengers, Babylon's Fall, Life Is Strange Remastered Collection, Life Is Strange: True Colors, and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.PC Gaming Show
PC Gamer presented its PC Gaming Show event on June 13, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. PDT. Among games featured included:- Arboria
- Chernobylite
- Citizen Sleeper
- Dodgeball Academia
- Dying Light 2: Stay Human
- Far: Changing Tides
- Gigabash
- Gloomwood
- Icarus
- Ixion
- Lakeburg Legacies
- Lemnis Gate
- Mechajammer
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Next Space Rebels
- Orcs Must Die 3
- Project Warlock 2
- Rawmen
- Sacrifire
- Silt
- Songs of Conquest
- Soulstice
- They Always Run
- Tinykin
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong
- ''WarTales''
Capcom
Nintendo
held a Nintendo Direct for E3 on the final day of the convention, June 15, 2021, at 9 a.m. PDT, followed by a three-hour-long Nintendo Treehouse Live show about titles discussed in the Nintendo Direct. Games included Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Life Is Strange, Life Is Strange: True Colors, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Worms Rumble, Astria Ascending, Two Point Campus, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, Mario Party Superstars, Metroid Dread, Just Dance 2022, Cruis'n Blast, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Mario Golf: Super Rush, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, WarioWare: Get It Together!, Shin Megami Tensei V, Danganronpa Decadance, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, and the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo also announced a limited edition Game & Watch for the Zelda series for its 35th anniversary that included the original Zelda game, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Link's Awakening.Best of E3 Awards
Editors from IGN, GameSpot, PC Gamer, and GamesRadar+ collectively decided on the Best of E3 Awards on June 15, 2021. Among their picks, Forza Horizon 5 was named as the Most Anticipated Game overall, with the Microsoft and Bethesda event as the Best Presentation.Featured games
This is a list of notable titles that appeared by their developers or publishers at E3 2021.Capcom
| Nintendo
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Other events
Guerrilla Collective
The Guerrilla Collective, a group of indie game developers and publishers, held a two-day showcase of new game announcements over June 5 and June 12, 2021.Games announced during the two-day event included:
- Aeon Drive
- AK-xolotl
- Akatori
- Among Us
- ANNO: Mutationem
- Aragami 2
- Arcade Paradise
- Archvale
- Arietta of Spirits
- Batora: Lost Haven
- Bats the Game
- Beasts of Maravilla Island
- Behind the Frame
- Black Book
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
- Blooming Business: Casino
- BPM: Bullets Per Minute
- Chernobylite
- Death Trash
- Demon's Mirror
- Demon Turf
- Despot's Game
- El Paso, Elsewhere
- Elderand
- Endling
- The Eternal Cylinder
- Fire Tonight
- Firegirl
- Ghostrunner
- Grime
- Grow: Song of the Evertree
- Guild of Dungeoneering: Ultimate Edition
- Happy's Humble Burger Farm
- Hello Neighbor 2
- Hunt the Night
- Industria
- King of the Hat
- Kitsune Tails
- Kraken Academy
- KungFu Kickball
- Lamentum
- Legend of Keepers: Return of the Goddess
- The Legend of TianDing
- The Light of The Darkness
- The Lightbringer
- Loot River
- Moroi
- My Lovely Wife
- Neverwinter
- No Longer Home
- Omno
- Onsen Master
- Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator
- Raji: An Ancient Epic
- Rawmen: Food Fighter Arena
- Robodunk
- Rubi: The Wayward Mira
- Run Die Run Again
- Sable
- Serial Cleaners
- Severed Steel
- Slime Heroes
- Source of Madness
- Super Space Club
- Tamarindos Freaking Dinner
- Tinkertown
- Trash Sailors
- Trifox
- Ultra Age
- UnMetal
- Venice 2089
- Vertigo
- White Shadows
- Wolfstride
- Ynglet
- ''Zodiac Legion''