Streaming Streaming TV, Movies, & More E3 2021: Dates, News, Announcements, Rumors, and Everything Else to Know The entertainment-meets-gaming tradeshow of the year by S.E. Slack Strategy Director, Lifewire.com S.E. Slack has 30+ years' experience writing about technology. She has authored 12 books, thousands of articles, and worked for IBM and Microsoft. our editorial process LinkedIn S.E. Slack Updated on December 30, 2020 Entertainment Software Association Streaming TV, Movies, & More Netflix Hulu Disney+ Prime Video Apple TV+ Favorite Events Tweet Share Email E3 is an annual event sponsored by by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) for software developers, hardware manufacturers, and video game publishers. The event is sort of like the gaming industry's answer to CES (an annual consumer electronics event); hundreds of exhibitors with new and upcoming products show off game demos, host presentations, and showcase the latest in video game, and innovative technologies over several days. What Are the Dates for the Next E3? This year's event will be held June 15 - 17, 2021. It's expected to occur in Los Angeles. This year, organizers are planning to turn the event into a more fan-friendly show and encourage celebrity gamers and social media influencers to attend in order to expand the event beyond just industry attendees. Predictions: Which Products Will Be Announced? Since the event is still six months out, not much is know about the products that will be displayed or launched, nor which manufacturers will decide to participate. If the 2019 event is any indication, however, it's reasonable to expect some surprises. That year, for example, Nintendo made a splash at the end of the show with a timing announcement for Animal Crossing and a reveal of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There are whispers that the hotly anticipated Nintendo Switch Pro could be announced at this year's event. Sony, too, is typically a noisemaker at the event although it did not make host a PlayStation E3 2019 conference. After a two year absence, it's likely that the company will provide updates on upcoming games and, while unlikely to make a full-on launch announcement, it might even throw some teasers regarding the rumored PSVR 2. One can dream, right? Microsoft announced the Xbox Series X/S as 'Project Scarlett' at E3 2019; expect the company to use the 2021 event to further entice gamers to its platforms. Google, too, should be looking to stir things up for Google Stadia and YouTube Gaming plus it's probable that Amazon will jump into the fray with Amazon Luna-related announcements, too. Prolific game-maker Ubisoft is also expected to make a variety of new game announcements, as are other, smaller video game companies. So, overall, E3 2021 should be a jam-packed event for gaming fans. Lifewire's E3 Predictions Based on a variety of rumors and investigative work, we predict:Nintendo will announce new games and be very coy about the next version of the Switch.Sony will announce new games and be as coy about PSVR as Nintendo will be about the Switch.Microsoft will announce a game studio acquisition and/or a game studio partnership. Could it be Ubisoft? How to Stream and Watch E3 The 2021 event is still a bit of an unknown. The ESA has promised a virtual event unlike any other in response to COVID-19 limitations but little else is known about how the event will actually unfold. Keep an eye on this space; we'll update streaming details here as soon as they become available. The Latest E3 and Other Gaming News You can always get your gaming news fix at Lifewire but here are a few headlines that might interest you, too. Experts Say YouTube Isn’t Ready to Take On Twitch, Yet Why Stadia and xCloud as Web Apps Could Work The Wait for Halo Infinite Could Be Worth It We'll be back with more news (and a few rumors) as the event develops; stay tuned! Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit