After several years of criticism and calls for an update to the format, E3 has faced difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and this year’s edition is trying to come back with a new energy, including a physical event.
The Missing Pieces
However, without EA, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox, the event was significantly weakened. Yesterday, Ubisoft added its name to the list of high-profile publishers that will not be attending the event. Like Xbox, Ubisoft will be hosting a separate summer games showcase outside of E3.
Uncertain Future
As a result, conversations have started about the strength of E3 without the major publishers, and now Andy Robinson from VGC shares that he has heard things that suggest problems for the event. He mentioned, “It’s often tough to separate the facts from the conjecture on E3, but unsurprisingly I’m really not hearing good things. Would not be surprised at all if it’s called off this week – but I hope it isn’t. I feel so sorry for those behind it who did everything asked of them.”
Overall, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the event, and the absence of major players is undermining its role in this summer of announcements.
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