• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

E3 now stands for Electronic Entertainment Experience, 2021 all online event, some behind a paywall

Bartski

Gold Member
Edit: NOT SURE IF APRIL FOOLED
Edit 2: multiple sources reposting everywhere, looks real?



The ESA’s intention for the 2021 show is to hold multiple keynote sessions from games partners, broadcast from an LED-clad live stage built in Los Angeles, as well as an awards show, preview night and the ability for companies to schedule meetings with media and business users via the app.
However, the key feature of E3 2021’s digital plans could be on-demand game demos streamed via the cloud.
The ESA wants to partner with Nvidia to power the demos using its GeForce Now platform, VGC understands, and allow E3 exhibitors to make their playable experiences available either to the general public, or privately to press and business people via its app. VGC has requested comment from Nvidia.
Plans sent to publishers suggest the E3 app will include “virtual booths” containing content announced during the show, as well as merchandise stores and demos.
According to our sources, The ESA has discussed bundling some parts of its consumer offering as part of a paid access pass, which could be for the on-demand game demos or a ‘premium’ package with extra access.

Edit 3: paywall reports debunked by ESA
Edit 4: Not really, paywall events not fully ruled out as confirmed by outlets reaching out to ESA, story developing.




Edit 5: No paywalled elements according to ESA

ESA said "E3’s 2021 digital show is a free event for all attendees," and confirmed in a follow-up statement that "there will be no elements at E3 2021 that will be behind a paywall." Whether that represents a change in plans, a narrowing of scope after investigating other approaches or something else entirely we don't know, but we'll have to wait to find out exactly what this year's show will be like.

 
Last edited:

KyoZz

Tag, you're it.
200.gif
 

Bartski

Gold Member
However, at least one major games company VGC spoke to expressed criticism of the paywall plans and suggested that The ESA had indicated it was willing to back down on the proposal.
In a statement issued to VGC, the E3 organiser emphasised that whatever happens, consumers would be able to access some sort of free experience.
“We’ve been hard at work to deliver a free experience for everyone interested in E3 2021, and we’re excited to share further details soon,” a spokesperson said.

what???
 

Kuranghi

Member
This crap pisses me off. At some point we have to live off our lives.

You mean this is all too spread out and takes up too much time to see it all? I have to agree, I don't have a job right now (and didn't last year during game shows) and I found it hard to watch everything without ignoring everything else in life except eating and sleeping.
 

NickFire

Member
I can't tell if an April fools joke or not. The paid demo pass sounds like one. But the rest of what OP listed sounds about what I would have guessed except for maybe the award show.
 

Zeroing

Banned
I mean, I would say no, that’s a joke but then I look at the past years of gaming and I realize, we somehow ended up with lots of things behind a paywall!
 

xion4360

Member
not sure if april fools, but back in the old e3 days you would hear a lot about behind closed doors demos and trailers.. so I guess its not entirely too different (and we would still get the info/trailers anyway) and they do want to make money somehow.
 

Kuranghi

Member
I'd pay to play E3 demos tbh, but not much, like £15-20 for everything.

I'd pay that to go and see a band play for 90 mins, I'm sure I'd get at least that out of all the demos.
 
Last edited:

Bartski

Gold Member
this could be a massive win for Nvidia and a huge stress test for the platform... I'll wait for more news about what's in the menu, but something tells me I'm getting the ticket
 

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
The closer we get to the weekend, the more rumormongers activate with their "sources" to make up for the slower actual news (for them).

Website: Sources told us this!

Official: It's false!

Website: Actually.... one of our sources told us that it might change but we forgot to mention that.

You could make a drinking game with how much these people write "sources" in their "articles" 😂
 
Last edited:

nikolino840

Member
The closer we get to the weekend, the more rumormongers activate with their "sources" to make up for the slower actual news (for them).

Website: Sources told us this!

Official: It's false!

Website: Actually.... one of our sources told us that it might change but we forgot to mention that.

You could make a drinking game with how much these people write "sources" in their "articles" 😂
Maybe is the same source that use kotaku to find halo news
 
But I already have grinning idiot Geoff's entire Summer Shit Festival to watch the trailers from 5 minutes later. How will I find the time to not bother with this and just watch the trailers later too?

I watch live game events like E3 for the big surprise announcements in front of live crowds and the cringe a live show provides like flute guy, Skittles, Wii Music or corporate people putting their feet in their mouths. Most of the big news gets leaked now because nobody has any respect for their own workplaces anymore, and the kind of cringe these digital events provide is another, much more awful kind of cringe that I don't want.
 

Quasicat

Member
Yeah, I’m not paying for it. There is so much free stuff available at that time of the year between this website and the huge amount of podcasts that I listen to, all for free.
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
No one needs the ESA. Every publisher can do their own digital showcase while saving a shit ton of money in the process. Looking forward to seeing if any publisher signs up to their E3 2021 digital event.
 

Bartski

Gold Member
They didn't debunk Geforce Now E3 platform for demos on cloud so now it means it should be free for everyone
 

JSoup

Banned
I'd like to see more of what happened in the last year. Forget having a show, here's a free game that's basically a show floor advertising whatever.
 

Sybrix

Member
I mean I guess they have to make money also... like most businesses since COVID have had to change how they do things.

If they included playable demos then I would do it.... sort of like buying a magazine for the demo disc for those old enough to remember that XD
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
If they backed off from paywalling I suspect it has nothing to do with being consumer friendly and all about handling Youtube influencers who'd no doubt pitch a bitch fit if their ability to cover the event was constrained.
 

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
Whatever they're offering, paid or unpaid, it'll be available for free either immediately (any media) or a little way down the line (demos).

E3's problem is that they're a promo tool for other people's products and those people have more online presence than they do.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom