Illustration: Tara Jacoby

This year – for the first time since 2006 (!!) – I didn’t have to cover E3 for Kotaku, so I had the chance to experience the event as a reader and fan, watching presentations and press conferences for stuff that got me excited, instead of what needed to be written.

It wasn’t great.

I know talking about “the death of E3” and the game writers thinking about the show’s future is as tiring and old as the show itself, so I’ll try to spare you that here. But the only thing that struck me again and once again over the course of the week felt like, this particular year, none of that needed to happen.

E3 has become and remains the premier event of the video game industry due to the immense importance of its topicality. It used to be a small number of massive press conferences, where everyone’s favorite companies revealed their biggest and most exciting releases of the year, all in one place, all at the same time. The weight of these disclosures has diminished over the past decade, however, as more publishers have decided to host their own E3 events, and others like Nintendo and Sony are turning to video presentations or ignoring it altogether. the 3.

We now live in a world where we receive big disclosures all the time, throughout the year, not only at company events like Nintendo Direct videos, but also at an increasing number of events. fan exhibits and minor shows. So the days of E3 worth the excitement that drove it are long gone.

Muscle memory is a weird thing though, even culturally, and despite everything I’ve just said (and surely you already know deep down) fans keep getting excited about the idea of ​​E3. , if not its diluted reality, and so again in June 2021, millions of people got ready to settle in for a week of events and get excited about new things.

We have not had enough and also too much.

The global Covid-19 pandemic, and its resulting lockups and shutdowns and working from home, has taken its toll on the video game industry. With the closing of offices and access to everything from motion capture to sound recording studios, the development of countless major projects has been stalled. Many games due in 2020 have slipped to 2021, and games due in 2021 have been pushed back to 2022 (or even later!).

And that had a ripple effect on the new games, the real treasure of the E3 experience, as the titles we might have expected to debut on the big stage in 2021 are not yet ready to be shown, or maybe not. even started development as publishers scramble to release their delayed games first.

It is useful here to think of video game development, at least in the larger part of the economy, as a production line in a factory.. Ideas come in, they’re injected with money, art, code, and labor, and ultimately a video game comes out. E3 is where the world sits with gripping hands waiting to see what happens, but over the past 12 months nothing has gone into the machine, and so little comes out of it in the end.

Never before, and maybe never again, will there be so little to show for a year of successful video game development. With human crowds excluded from E3 for the second year in a row, and the big end of the industry trying to work with one hand tied behind their back, it would have been understandable, if not admirable, if E3 had been able to do the job. update on events and just took the gap year. Stick a sign on the door that says “Please understand, things have gone wrong, we will see you again next year!” “

We have so many other shows, and other times, and other ways of talking to the world of video games that we could easily have taken the shrunken stock from 2021, spread it out over other events, and given each business and play some time in the sun of its own.

But that’s not how capitalism works, and E3, being the premier trade show for a billion dollar global industry, is no exception. The machine is never allowed to stop, never. If new games don’t come out, E3 will just show the old ones again. And if the new games aren’t ready to go, publishers will just show what’s ready. Not enough big games to fill all the streaming niches? Just put a bunch of small games in the spotlight and turn them into bigger games with light.

Can you believe that in a year where almost nothing big and new was announced, E3 week consisted of 17 separate shows. 17 shows! Be absolutely screwed. There were traditional big ones left, like the Microsoft + Bethesda storefront, and Nintendo’s was fun, but three video game websites had their own events, and VR had its own show, and a small company that made boxed games. had its own show. .

The onslaught of events created a scenario where just following what was going on, let alone what was being announced, was exhausting. E3 2021 felt like an endless spectacle, and I certainly had to do a lot of work to stay on top for someone who wasn’t paid for it. The math just doesn’t check. In a year when there were very few games we could talk about, have we had more shows and more games than ever before our eyes?

Please note that I won’t blame companies or individual developers here, from big AAA publishers to smaller independent endeavors, because everyone has games to sell and this is still a great way to do it. A diminished E3 is always a huge event for someone trying to sell a video game. As someone who just loves them, though, considering E3 2021 to be a forest and not a bunch of trees, it sucked.

Not because of the games shown, or the lack of games shown, but the format we had to endure. From my perspective, as someone just wanting to experience some cool new video games the same way you used to be, the week as a whole is like butter smeared on too much bread. A whole series of events that were basically “this meeting could have been an email”. There wasn’t a single big reveal that I could have called a “megaton” in the great old E3 lore, and yet it’s going to take me weeks to dig into all the interesting little indie games presented to them. up because too much fucking stuff has been shown.

Maybe next year things will get back to normal, as grim as this normality has become in recent years. Vaccination rates and a return to pre-Covid crowd levels will put gamers back in a sweat and squeeze in live press conference seats, huge crowds will squeeze flesh at the LA Convention Center and developers who have been allowed to coming back to the office will have some great new games to show off once again.

But it certainly would have been nice if, for at least a year, we had been able to realize that things are not always normal.

Photo: Vivien Killilea (Getty Images)

On an internet obsessed with reactions, events like E3 are a gold mine. Content creators of all stripes co-run big announcements as they happen, adding some flavor to otherwise perfectly packaged proceedings. Today, however, E3 told the creators that it might not be such a great idea this year.

This morning, Geoff Keighley, who hosted E3 for years but left last year launch his own event called Summer Game Fest, tweeted an email from E3 sent to content creators. Many of these creators applied to be part of the official E3 co-streaming schedule, but not all. In the email, the organization explained that the spaces for its official co-broadcast program were “limited” and “quickly filled.” He went on to say that if others choose to co-broadcast one of the biggest gaming events of the year, they will do so at their own risk.

“While we do encourage fan engagement and people to co-stream and think it’s great when the community does, we’re not speaking for platforms like Twitch, YouTube or Facebook,” Luke Stepleton wrote, Head of the E3 Talent Team. “We recommend that the terms of use and guidelines of these platforms be followed for such events.”

“I tried to play well,” Keighley tweeted, including the Summer Game Fest event, which took place earlier this week, expressly stipulated that everyone was allowed to distribute it “for free”. “Creators are wary unless you have permission,” Keighley said.

He then asked other content creators, streamers, and hosts if they had received the same email. Many responded that they had, and that they were upset that they were only getting this information today, having already planned some content around E3.

“Wow!” the owner of a small YouTube channel called The Weekly Wrap Up said on twitter. “It’s extremely disheartening and disheartening, especially for a small chain like me. Maybe I should rethink all the co-streams I had planned.

In the past, E3 conferences were full of licensed music and other stuff that could easily go against platform rules, especially news (at least, compared to previous E3s). Twitch happy with DMCA. During BlizzConline earlier this year, for example, Twitch himself co-broadcast a performance from Metallica to which he realized he didn’t have the rights, which forced a Twitch channel official at replace Metallica’s live music with generic wind chime noises in order to avoid a DMCA. While Twitch has already encouraged E3 co-streaming, 2021 is a very different year for the platform than, say, 2019.

In a DM in Kotaku, Keighley answered a question about whether he thought his rejection was a matter of application timeline or other factors (e.g. Summer Game Fest) saying he had applied to co -broadcast “weeks ago”. Kotaku has contacted E3 for more information on why he has waited until now to release this information to the creators, but he did not respond as of the date of this publication.

The seemingly small handful of bigger-name streamers who were part of the official E3 co-streaming schedule applied at different times, when they applied. Long-standing variety diffuser Anne Amunition told Kotaku in a DM that her manager had asked her if she would be interested in participating “around the very end of May,” which would put E3’s decision to add her to the program according to Keighley’s application schedule. Companion variety streamer Renee said she also signed last month after E3 organizers, including Stepleton, whom she had previously known from a talent agency called 3BlackDot, contacted her directly. CohhCarnage, pillar of Twitch, on the other hand, told Kotaku that the process started for him “a few months ago”.

In general, however, it appears that E3 was very selective, hand-picking some streamers who hadn’t even applied. This contrasts with the Summer Game Fest, which took a valve-opening approach more in line with Keighley’s emphasis on a “more digital and global” future for video game events.

“I didn’t even know you could apply to co-stream [E3], to be honest, ”Renée told Kotaku. “I was just planning on ‘attending’ as a fan this year, so I’m pretty glad they thought of me.”

For the majority of streamers, this is a huge blow, but all hope is not lost. Individual publisher event rules vary, with Microsoft in particular ensuring that everyone should be able to co-stream the Xbox and Bethesda event of tomorrow.

“At Xbox, we greatly appreciate all co-streaming efforts and aim to ensure you have a smooth experience should you choose to do so,” Microsoft written on the “How to watch” page of the event. “To this end, we cooperate closely with the music industry and with platforms like YouTube and Twitch. “

He noted, however, that “due to forces beyond our control” automated software and glitches could interfere. -Diffusion.

It’s unclear why E3 hasn’t taken similar action, although it’s not hard to imagine trying to bring together so many different publishers and events in the same tent, so that many things apparently came together at the last second– might have something to do with it. For its part, E3 hopes to give creators a better experience next year.

“We hope to continue the [E3 co-streaming program] next year with greater availability, ”Stepleton wrote in the email to creators,“ and encourages you to apply again next year for the opportunity to participate. “

Image: Electronic software association

Last year, amid a mismanaged pandemic and sweeping social distancing regulations, the Entertainment Software Association canceled its annual event E3. But the stretch between late May and early November was littered with digital storefronts and press conferences. If you’ve followed video games closely, you’ve logged into a new event on a weekly basis.

This year looks the same. E3 is back, but as a fully digital event. Many of the industry’s biggest players are following suit, turning to digital presentations to relay the frenzy of trailers, updates, disclosures and “one more thing” to the masses. Here’s what we know to come, and we’ll update this article as organizers confirm details of upcoming events.

Wholesome Direct – May 2021

Twee indie showcase Wholesome Direct will return this spring, organizer Wholesome Games ad in March. The idea behind Wholesome Direct is simple: to present a list of relaxing, low-stress games as a sort of antidote to the loud and explosive games that tend to define this business. Date to be confirmed, but Wholesome Direct Submission Form (since closed) says accepted presenters have until May 10 to line up their ducks, so the event likely won’t happen for some time afterward.

Summer Game Fest – June 2021

Last year, Geoff Keighley kicked off the inaugural Summer Game Fest, a months-long show of appreciation for ouroboros for the video game hype. For the most part, that meant slapping a Summer Game Fest logo in front of partner streams, lending the promotional muscle of Keighley’s device to already existing events. (In July, Summer Game Fest made more than 70 demos indie games available on Xbox.) The whole shebang is coming back this year. According to the Summer Game Fest’s website, it will “present a more condensed calendar of events spanning less than a month.”

E3 – from June 12 to June 15

The mother of all gaming events, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is back after the 2020 liftoff in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. This year it returns as a fully digital event which, despite rumors suggested, will be completely free. The schedule for E3 2021 has yet to be revealed, but confirmed exhibitors include Nintendo, Xbox, Ubisoft, Capcom, Konami, Take-Two, Koch Media and WB Games. Of these, only Ubisoft has confirmed a time and date. For now, Sony, Rockstar, Activision and EA have not confirmed their attendance.

Ubisoft Forward – June 12 at 3 p.m. ET

Ubisoft’s big summer press conference, Ubisoft Forward, will land on the first day of E3. So what could the French mega-publisher reveal? At present, Far Cry 6, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Rider’s republic do not have release dates. Ubisoft’s three big card games from last year – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, and Immortals Fenyx Rising – all have behind-the-scenes expansions. And that doesn’t mean anything about the other venerable franchises under the Ubisoft umbrella. Maybe this is the year we finally get a new Splinter Cell?

PC Gaming Show + Future Games Show – June 13

This year, PC Gamer’s PC Gaming Show and GamesRadar’s Future Games Show will be broadcast as a double header. The long-running PC Gaming Show will probably be what it always is (an upcoming PC game series), but the Future Games Show is newer to the circuit, so everyone’s guessing what we might see. the recent spring showcase, as of March, broadcast over 40 games in two hours. (Two! Hours! Full!)

Pax Online – July 15 to July 18

Pax East, initially scheduled for early June, has been cancelled and replaced by a fully digital event called Pax Online.

Game Developers Conference – July 19 to July 23

Directory Game Developers Conference will return this summer, but as a fully digital event, yet with the same buffet of discussions, panels, question-and-answer sessions and networking events. Fair warning: it’s not free, and it certainly isn’t cheap. Passes start at hundreds of dollars.

GamesCom Opening Night Live – August 24

Despite problems and setbacks in the deployment of covid-19 vaccines throughout the European Union, GamesCom, famous in Cologne, Germany, will be a physical event this year. But the opening ceremony – a flagship event rightly called Opening night live—Will be broadcast worldwide. Like last year’s event, Geoff Keighley will host. Expect “global exclusives” and “global reveals”.

Image: Techland

As promised, Polish developer Techland today released a video updating the world on the state of the zombie parkour thriller Dying Light 2. and it’s an extremely concise look at one of the most toxic cycles under. underlying the video game industry.

In the first half of the video of about three minutes, various Techland developers have read swearing comments from fans demanding the game’s release or at least proof that it still exists. “FUCK THAT BULLSHIT !!! Release Dying Light 2 or give a fucking GOD DAMNIT demo, ”one of the posts read.

Then the second half of the video begins with one of the developers saying calmly and seriously, “Okay everyone, we’ve got the message. We understand that you are curious about the game because you want Dying Light 2 to be as good as you imagined it to be. “

The devs go on to explain that Dying Light 2 is a big game, a complex game, the type of game that is hard to make (note: they all are), and that the studio just needs a little more time to bring in. its ambitious. creative outlook on life, especially after a year full of unique challenges and tragedies arising from the ongoing pandemic. The second half of the video is defensive, bordering on apologies, seemingly in an effort to appease the game’s more energetic and outspoken fans.

“We all here put our hearts into delivering a game that you will keep playing for months to come,” says one developer as if filming a video hostage.

“We’re proud to have fans as dedicated as you are, however you express your feelings,” says lead designer Tymon Smektała towards the end, completing the unhealthy co-addiction loop of the game. video game marketing.

Techland developers update angry fans on the state of the game and its delays in a new video. Techland

“Normalizing this shit or playing it for a laugh makes the industry worse for everyone,” wrote Brendan Sinclair, editor of GamesIndustry.biz. on Twitter today. He is right.

We’ve seen this play out dozens of times before. A certain segment of game fans love developers until they bombard them with death threats because a game has been delayed or, God forbid, had a bad ending. Yet some of the biggest game studios and publishers continue to respond to these hyper-online and super fickle ‘fans’, as they are also the ones who will be spreading the E3 marketing gospel on social media and private chats. , scold unbelievers, and be prepared to launch a harassment campaign at any time if reviewers’ ratings don’t go as planned.

Dying Light 2 was first revealed during Microsoft’s press conference at E3 2018, three years after the first game’s release. It looked good. A hands-on demo I saw even teased that there might be some interesting worldbuilding going on beyond the standard zombie survival hijinks. But the game never had a firm release date, and early last year, Techland announced he would be delayed indefinitely. So, some Dying Light 2 fans have apparently turned to abuse of the game’s developers, and now Techland is trying to win them back, including with a new short teaser to help them out until the studio is finally ready to go. announce more.

“Everything is fine.” Image: Techland

We saw that exact scenario unfold last year with Cyberpunk 2077. After the game was delayed a third time in late October, lead game designer Andrzej Zawadzki and others reported being harassed over the news. . “I’ll burn you alive if you don’t take the game out” reads one of the death threats. he shared a screenshot. It was several weeks later Bloomberg first reported that the developers of CD Projekt Red were forced to work mandatory overtime to complete the game, and several weeks before some Cyberpunk 2077 fans would go berserk on insufficiently positive reviews of the final match. The game quickly sold 13 million copies and was just as quickly removed from the PlayStation Store for performance issues. Despite years of edgelord marketing, he fell out of NPD sales charts. Who exactly has been served by this whole messy cycle?

And yet we see it again with Dying Light 2. Months after its delay, the Polish site PolskiGameDev.pl reported that development was not going well, and that the studio was struggling to deliver on its promise of a vibrant and changing world. Last month, The player reported that the project suffered from a lack of direction, and cited a number of incidents at the studio that pointed to a toxic business model at Techland. Just last week the studio tweeted, “We announced the game too early, but it’s far from developer hell.” Techland’s management sold a dream for what Dying Light 2 could be to fans years ago and now it’s a nightmare fueling commentators with assholes and potentially deeper issues at the studio.

Eventually the game will be released (the new video says 2021) or it won’t. It can be good, bad, or very good. Whatever the outcome, I hope the highly visible and obvious issues around Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2, and games with similar weapon fanbases will convince the creators to stop relying on the hype circus that has been going on for ever. years to promote their games. Or at the very least, stop acquiescing in the worst parts of the fanbase she tends to build.