E3 2021 confirmed for online only event with Nintendo, Capcom and Warner Bros. confirmed to have announcements
Sony is skipping out again however
After months of speculation and rumors surrounding what exactly is going on with the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year in terms of how it will take place, there's finally some concrete answers for fans of big video game reveals.
The Entertainment Software Association confirmed today that E3 2021 will be an online-only event this June spanning four days along with which game developers / publishers have already signed on to present their upcoming titles.
E3 2021 will not be held behind a paywall as some previous rumors had suggested, so everyone will be able to watch for free from home from June 12–15.
Of the publishers already confirmed to be in attendance, fighting game fans should be aware that Capcom, Nintendo and Warner Bros. are listed though that doesn't necessarily mean we'll see too much in the way of FGC-related content at the showcases.
Nintendo probably has the best chance with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate since the series has a long history of reveals at E3 from the famous Brawl announcement to Banjo-Kazooie and Hero in 2019.
Given Pyra and Mythra's release last month, June would be an apt time to announce the second-to-last character for Smash Ultimate's Fighter Pass Volume 2.
Warner Bros. has a wide umbrella of properties they could be showing off though something for Mortal Kombat 11 certainly isn't out of the question since NetherRealm Studios has been pretty quiet about the game all year thus far.
If nothing comes by the game's two-year anniversary later this month, E3 may be the place to look for something new.
June does also line up nicely for when we suspect Oro will launch in Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition, but it feels unlikely we'll him on the digital stage there for a few reasons.
For starters, Sony is once again choosing to sit out of E3, who were always the ones to showcase SF5 at the events since they helped fund the game and make it a console exclusive.
Plus, Capcom has been doing their own seasonal update streams for the new Street Fighter content, so a Summer Update seems like almost a done deal at this point though.
The company has previously revealed new games for Resident Evil, Monster Hunter and Devil May Cry over the past few years, but they did have the infamous Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite story mode reveal in 2017.
Other publishers participating include Xbox, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive and Koch Media with more to be announced later.
After getting canceled last year and going all digital in 2021, E3 is looking to come back to its more traditional in-person roots for 2022.
