This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021.

You may recall that when E3 fell foul of the coronavirus, the organisers behind the event expressed their intention to run a digital event in place of the cancelled physical one. Well, if rumours are to be believed that idea is now off. Industry insider Mike Futter took to Twitter to suggest that the ESA - the organisation behind E3 - had made a last ditch effort to bring publishers on board, including potential coverage by IGN and, err, Good Morning America, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

Here's the slide from the pitch. @AndreaRene is a smart partner. Good Morning America... is a choice...

But what stands out... IGN... which (along with a number of ESA member publishers) essentially just told E3, "We don't need you."

This is damning for the future. pic.twitter.com/PJ8uzvKNyV
— Mike Futter (@Futterish) April 4, 2020

It would appear that IGN decided they could organise their own digital event without the need to include the ESA. The entertainment site has announced that they’ll be holding a ‘Summer of Gaming’ event featuring “publisher presentations with IGN pre- and post-discussions, remote developer interviews, hands-on demos and preview impressions, gameplay, and news segments recapping the biggest announcements.” Of the publishers on board, IGN lists 2K, Square Enix, SEGA, Bandai Namco, Amazon, Google Stadia, Twitter, Devolver Digital, THQ Nordic, and “more.” No word on when the event will kick off but they promise more details over the next few weeks.

As for E3 itself, the ESA have locked down the dates for next year’s ‘re-imagined’ event, with it due to take place from 15 - 17 June. What shape or form that conference will take in light of the developments this year remains to be seen.

What do you think E3 will look like next year? Let us know down below.

Source: Twitter via Push Square, IGN, GamesIndustry.biz