E3 2021: Koch Media, IGN, and Ubisoft still to come

Here's what we know so far

E3 is almost upon us, and the line-up keeps getting longer. The fully digital conference, held each year by the Entertainment Software Association, is considered one of the gaming industry’s key events.

With no stalls or booths due to the Coronavirus pandemic, E3 has had to rethink its approach to this year’s showcase. It is still set to be one of the biggest events of the year, with announcements and shows from companies such as EA, Bethesda, Square Enix, and Ubisoft.

How can I attend?

Registration for E3 opened on June 3, but most press conferences will be available to stream on Twitch. An official livestream E3 broadcast hosted by Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez, Greg Miller, and Jacki Jing will also be running via the E3 app.

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Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite. Credit: 343 Industries

When is it, and how does this digital thing work?

The main body of E3 will run from 12 – 15 June, but a few fringe events will fall outside of this period. Hours can vary, due to the international nature of the event, but we’ve put everything in BST just to keep things simple.

Usually, E3 is a big physical event with booths and huge developer conferences taking place across multiple stages. This year, things have to be reconsidered, due to the ongoing pandemic limitations, but the E3 team has a more solid plan in place than last years’, which was a little messy.

A live stream will be available for the duration of the event, with online booths, and even digital social areas for people to discuss the announcements.

All of this will take place on a centralised app, which The CEO of the ESA, Stanley Pierre-Louis explained as: “a bespoke online portal and app that will allow fans, media and industry professionals to have an E3 experience designed to run parallel to the four-day broadcast, laying the foundation for interactive E3 elements to continue beyond this year’s all-virtual show.”

Sam Fisher comes to Rainbow Six: Siege
Sam Fisher in Rainbow Six Siege Credit: Ubisoft

Who will be there and what sort of announcements can I expect?

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The confirmed list of speakers is already pretty huge, but little is known about the nature of their individual announcements.

Industry giants such as Nintendo, Xbox, EA, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, Capcom, and Sega will all be there, alongside a few shows focusing specifically on smaller or indie developers. Gearbox, Take-Two, and Koch.

Media will also be there, although Konami have announced they will not be attending this year due to being “in deep development on a number of key projects”.

Although we don’t know the content of these announcements, we can make a few educated guesses that games such as Elden Ring and Starfield may be discussed.

Events:

June 5 – Indie Live Expo – 10am BST

In its third annual iteration, the Indie Live Expo will focus on Asian-market indie games.

June 5 – Guerrilla Collective (Day One) – 4pm BST

This fast-paced showcase will feature over 80 games between the two days, with announced partners including 505 Games, Akupara Games, tinyBuild, All in! Games, Superhot, Fellow Traveller, Good Shepherd, Graffiti Games, Humble Games, Headup, Goblinz Studio, Hypetrain Digital, Innersloth, and Neon Doctrine.

June 5 – Black Voices In Gaming – 6pm BST

Highlighting Black creators, professionals, and characters in gaming.

June 9 –  EA Battlefield 6 reveal stream – 3pm BST

EA will reveal the next entry in the Battlefield series on YouTube the day before E3 officially starts. Expect a game title, release date and more. Find out more here.

June 10 – The /twitchgaming Gathering

Twitch announced that it will be hosting a unique event starting on June 10, that will include the Summer Game Fest Kickoff, as well as a whole host of content, featuring behind-the-scenes access, announcements and industry interviews hosted by the streamers who make up Twitch. The event also promises a celebrity edition of Twitch Rivals, and a special edition of the Twitch Gameshow Hivemind.

June 10 – Summer Game Fest Kick-Off Live – 7pm BST

Hosted by Geoff Keighley, the Kick-Off Live show is a space for “premiere” game announcements alongside a new “stream-safe game soundtrack song” from Weezer.

June 11 – Koch Primetime Gaming Stream

A much-anticipated stream from Koch Media – the parent company of Deep Silver – who has been teasing something mysterious for a while now.

June 11 – Netflix Geeked Week Gaming – 5pm BST

Geoff Keighley will be a special guest on this showcase, looking at upcoming gaming TV shows and films on the Netflix streaming service. This includes information, we suspect, on The Witcher, The Cuphead Show, and Resident Evil.

June 11 – IGN Expo 2021 – 9pm BST

An event run in partnership with Kick-Off Live, IGN has promised: “new game reveals, never-before-seen gameplay, and announcements you won’t hear from anyone else”.

June 12 – Guerrilla Collective (Day Two) – 4pm BST

Day two of Guerrilla Collective’s independent showcase will feature even more games, spotlighting in-development games from indie developers and publishers across the world.

June 12 – Wholesome Direct – 6pm BST

Bringing this years’ pick of sweet and soothing games.

June 12 – Ubisoft Forward – 8pm BST

Although there are no firm announcement details just yet, updates on franchises like Rainbow Six and Far Cry are likely.

June 12 – Devolver Digital Press Conference – 9:30pm BST

All we have to go on for this one is a cryptic tweet.

June 12 – Gearbox Showcase – 10pm BST

A showcase of announcements and information from Gearbox, creators of Borderlands.

June 13 – Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase – 6pm BST

Combining for the first time on equal footing, Bethesda and Microsoft will present news on their “epic gaming lineup” and have promised “world premieres”.

June 13 – Square Enix Presents – 8:15pm BST

We already have a “world premiere” promised, and news on Babylon’s Fall, Black Panther, and the Life Is Strange sequel, so this looks to be a pretty major reveal event. There are also rumours about Final Fantasy Origin and a new Guardians Of The Galaxy inspired game.

June 13 – The PC Gaming Show – 10:30pm BST

This show focuses on PC games, courtesy of PC Gamer. A time and content schedule has not yet been announced.

June 13 – The Future Games Show – 12am BST

Hosted by GamesRadar, the Future Games Show is the counterpart of the PC Gaming Show, exhibiting console and mobile announcements. A time and content schedule has not yet been announced.

June 13 – Warner Bros. Games – Time TBA

Warner Bros. Games will appear at this year’s E3 conference, although the developer has already confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy and Gotham Knights won’t make an appearance. The developer will show off it’s Left 4 Dead inspired co-operative first-person shooter Back 4 Blood.

June 14 – Take Two Interactive – 6pm BST

Take-Two Interactive owns a number of properties including Bioshock, Borderlands and the NBA 2K games.  The new Bioshock has reportedly been in development for sometime, so it’s possible the publisher may reveal the first gameplay footage during its stream.

June 14 – Capcom – 10:30pm BST

Capcom’s 2021 E3 showcase will feature Resident Evil, Monster Hunter and a new Ace Attorney title, alongside potentially unannounced projects.

June 14 – Limited Run Games – 9pm BST 

Limited Run Games will be holding an hour-long E3 2021 press conference that promises 25 announcements centred on classic and indie games. This will more than likely involve several physical editions.

June 15 – Nintendo – 5pm BST

Nintendo have revealed that they will hold their trademark Nintendo Direct on June 15, promising roughly 40 minutes of info focussed on software and games for the Switch. There is currently no mention of the recently rumoured Nintendo Switch Pro.

June 15 – E3 Awards Show – 12:20am BST

Coming in right at the end of E3, the awards show looks to highlight some of the finest achievements in gaming over the last year.

June 16 – Steam Next Fest – 6pm BST

Steam aims to carry on the momentum of E3, with Steam Next Fest. The six day celebration will feature hundreds of game demos, developer livestreams and will allow fans to talk directly with developers.

Keep an eye on this page for any more announcements and updates to the schedule.

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