E3 2021 reportedly cancelled in favour of an all-digital event

E3 2018 LOGO
(Image credit: ESA)

E3 2021's in-person event has been cancelled, according to a forthcoming meeting by the LA Board of Convention and Tourism Development.

As first noted on ResetEra over the weekend, the City of Los Angeles has published an agenda for an upcoming meeting this week on March 3 surrounding conventions taking place in the city in 2021. Looking at page 18 of the PDF file of the meeting's agenda, you can see that E3 2021 has a section next to it that reads "cancelled live event in 2021."

This seems like pretty definitive proof that E3 2021 won't be taking place in an in-person format. This will be the second year in a row where E3's live showing has effectively been cancelled, after the event was called off last year in June 2020 due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the ESA is planning a digital E3 2021 showcase. The event organiser previously outlined the plan in a statement to Gamesradar, writing "we can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together. We are having great conversations with publishers, developers and companies across the board, and we look forward to sharing details about their involvement soon."

This digital showcase will take place from June 15 to June 17. The entire online event will apparently begin with a preview session on June 14, followed by a handful of two hour keynote sessions, as well as smaller streams from publishers and influencers over the subsequent three days. Over the coming months, you can expect a more concrete schedule for E3 2021 to take shape.

For all the games you can look forward to over the coming months, head over to our complete new games 2021 guide for more.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.