Sega and Tencent Bail Out Of E3 as the Summer Fest Gets Closer

After years of COVID delays and cancellations, E3 was finally supposed to return this year with a live show courtesy of PAX producer ReedPop, but it isn’t looking too well for E3 so far as major publishers like Ubisoft have pulled out of the event.

According to a new article from IGN, Sega, Tencent’s Infinite Label, and Devolver Digital have also pulled out from E3. Never missing a chance to kick down E3, Geoff Keighley, on the other hand, has announced a date for Summer Game Fest Kickoff Show which is June 8th.

We already know that Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft aren’t attending this year’s E3, but other major publishers like EA, Square Enix, Epic Games, and Activision Blizzard also refused to comment on whether they’ll be attending the show.

The interesting thing is that a lot of publishers did say that they’ll be attending the in-person event “Play Days” which is associated with Keighley’s Summer Game Fest. Keighley, as always, promises that this year’s Summer Game Fest will be the biggest ever and also hyped up the date announcement on Twitter.

E3 season is definitely not going as usual this year, it sure feels like it’s doomed. While a last-minute turnaround or a miracle could possibly get E3 back on its feet, so far, it isn’t looking too hot. Not saying that E3 won’t happen this year but considering how many publishers have pulled out, it won’t be surprising if it doesn’t happen.

This year, E3 is scheduled to run from June 13th to June 16th, and on the other hand, Summer Game Fest kicks off on June 8th and it’ll most likely have multiple events throughout the summer. All we can do is wait and see what happens and if E3 season has something to offer this year.

About E3

E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry in the United States. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publishers, hardware, and accessory manufacturers use to introduce and advertise upcoming games and game-related merchandise to retailers and to members of the press. 

E3 includes an exhibition floor for developers, publishers, and manufacturers to showcase their titles and products for sale in the upcoming year. Before and during the event, publishers and hardware manufacturers usually hold press conferences to announce new games and products.