E3 2021 In-Person Event Canceled, Tourism Board Says

It's news that isn't particularly shocking, but it was all but inevitable. E3 2021 has been canceled as an in-person event, with the Board of Los Angeles Department of Convention and Tourism Development Commissioners planning some sort of digital replacement to be broadcast from the city.

The news, shared by VGC and available as part of an 84-page presentation on the city's official website, lists E3 2021 as a "canceled live event in 2021," with potential broadcast options at LA Live and/or the Los Angeles Convention Center. The same update says the city is still working on the license for the next two years' conferences.

We did already know that the ESA was considering doing a very different sort of E3 for 2021, per a statement it gave to GameSpot earlier this month. The organization said it was "transforming the E3 experience for 2021" and added that it would share details on publishers' involvement in the event soon.

With E3 2020 canceled last year, companies like Microsoft and Ubisoft opted for separate, unaffiliated presentations where they announced news games and gave demonstrations. They were spread out significantly more than the typical E3 conferences, which take place over just a few days.

Holding an in-person E3 event this year would be especially dangerous if the show had stuck with its open-to-the-public approach that began a few years ago. Prior to this, it was an industry-only event, but interested players were able to buy tickets and attend beginning in 2017.