Sony is conspicuous by its absence from the list, and we have contacted the company for comment. Other major missing companies include EA (which recently preferred to host its own EA Play events during E3’s timing), Square Enix, Sega, Bandai Namco, Tencent, 505 and Activision Blizzard.
ESA makes it clear that the list of partners marks “early commitments” so that other publishers and developers can come on board at a later date. But before the show̵
Concrete details about the show remain thin on the ground, but ESA President Stanley Pierre-Louis used a press release to say: “We are developing this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still seem to excite fans with great revelations and insider opportunities such as makes this event the indispensable focal point for video games. ”
What we know for sure is that the event will be completely free. Following previous reports that parts of E3 2021 could be laid behind paywalls, ESA told IGN that “E3’s 2021 digital show is a free event for all participants”.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s CEO of News. Follow him on Twitter. Got a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Send an email to newstips@ign.com.
