After skipping out on a show last year thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is bringing E3 back this year as an all-digital event. Today, the organization shared some more details of how the experience will work for fans and members of the media, going over the aspects of its online portal and mobile app.
These two access points will be the hub for everything happening at E3, for both media and the general public, but the experience will be different for each type of attendee. Those with media accreditation will be able to access the portal/app from June 7, a few days ahead of the official start of the event, and will allow members of the press to schedule meetings and communicate with companies to learn more about their announcements. Then, on June 12, when E3 officially starts, the general public will also be able to enter.
The app will feature a number of sections for attendees to explore. First off, there will be exhibition booths from participating companies, featuring "special events", videos, and articles about the products shown off at the show. For the more social aspects of E3, there will also be lounges for users to gather in, and dedicated forums for discussion about different topics. Finally, there will be a leaderboards section that tries to "gamify" the experience and encourage attendees to participate as actively as possible. The app will also feature the main E3 broadcast, which includes publisher showcases, press conferences, panels, and so on.
There"s less than one month left for E3 to start, so it"ll be interesting to see how successfully the event can transition to its online format, and how that might affect plans for future editions of the show. Participants for this year include big names such as Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Konami, Capcom, and more.