San Francisco, Apr 6 (IANS): The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2021 will take place from June 12-15 as a free, "reimagined, all-virtual" event, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) said on Tuesday.
Companies such as Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive and Warner Bros. Games are among those who have made early commitments.
The event will allow developers to showcase their latest news and games directly to fans around the world.
"For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games," Stanley Pierre-Louis, President and CEO of the ESA, said in a statement.
"We are evolving this year's E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable centre stage for video games."
ESA said that the digital format for E3 2021 means more people than ever can participate.
The move to make the event digital comes as Covid-19 restrictions continue in many parts of the world.
The organisers said that they look forward to coming back together to celebrate E3 2022 in person.
Many flagship tech events are going virtual again amid the surge in Covid cases globally.
Microsoft's annual developer conference Build will also ditch the in-person format and go fully virtual from May 25-27.
Facebook has also announced to organise its flagship F8 developer conference in a virtual, single-day event on June 2.
Called F8 Refresh, the virtual stage will be open to developers across the world and live streamed on Facebook for Developers page. F8 normally attracted more than 5,000 people during its in-person avatar.
Apple has said that it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) from June 7-11, in an all-online format.
Google has announced not to participate in-person in the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021, after several tech giants like Nokia, Ericsson, Sony and Oracle decided not to attend the flagship event meant for the global smartphone industry.