That time of the year is almost upon us, when gamers across the globe look virtually towards Los Angeles for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). An extravaganza of goodies packed into a handful of days. Gamers Christmas. After a pandemic shuttered year off, E3 returns June 12 to 15 in an entirely virtual event, and the schedule of noteworthy livestreams is here. Sony is reportedly sitting out the event, but there is still plenty to look forward to.
Pre-E3, JUNE 11
The day before, at 4pm June 11, IGN’s own Summer of Gaming season will have a special IGN Expo event to coincide with E3. In their words, this stream will feature “exclusive content you won’t find being revealed anywhere else, including new game announcements and never-before-seen gameplay.”
JUNE 12
The first out the gate for E3 proper will be Ubisoft Forward. Ubisoft have already thrown some fuel in the hype bonfire with the gameplay reveal for October’s Far Cry 6, but at 3pm, June 12 (ET) the publisher will drop more news about their upcoming releases.
Ubisoft Forward: YouTube | Twitch
JUNE 13
Microsoft’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, 1pm June 13, will definitely be an interesting one. The first E3 after the release of the new generation Xbox Series X system. Microsoft has been making acquisitions left and right to beef up their software clout this past year – with the biggest being Bethesda, publishers of Doom, Fallout, and Elder Scrolls. In previous years Bethesda was a big enough company to hold their own standalone showcase at E3 so this year’s change to the status quo should be interesting. Expect more Xbox Game Pass news and an update on Halo Infinite somewhere in its reported 90-minute runtime.
Microsoft Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase: YouTube | Twitch
A Future double-bill will take place June 13. First with PC Gamer‘s PC Gaming Show will be 2pm June 13 dedicated to those non-console enthusiasts. The show has been running since 2015, “with the goal of uniting the disparate creators and hardware makers that comprise the hobby under one roof, shining a light on the vibrancy of the open gaming platform”
PC Gaming Show: YouTube
With a time still to be confirmed, will be a special E3 instalment of Future-owned GamesRadar’s Future Games Show which began last year. This event will try to showcase noteworthy titles from smaller publishers and developers.
Future Games Show: YouTube | Twitch
JUNE 15
Nintendo today announced their plans. 12pm June 15 will see a 40-minute Nintendo Direct followed by a three-hour Treehouse Live of gameplay demonstrations. Nintendo has had a very good year – it managed to sell 28.83 million Switch systems, and Animal Crossing in particular became an unexpected hit during lockdown. Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise has become a recent hit too. There is hype building. And this year is an anniversary year for the Legend of Zelda and Metroid franchises – with some kind of extra news, reveal or tease of the in-development Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel much expected. (And that’s not forgetting the heavily rumoured Switch upgrade that could be announced at any time before then).
Nintendo Direct + Treehouse Live: YouTube | Twitch
So rounding up,
| 4pm (ET), June 11 | IGN Expo | YouTube | Twitch |
| 3pm, June 12 | Ubisoft Forward | YouTube | Twitch |
| 1pm, June 13 | Microsoft Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase | YouTube | Twitch |
| 2pm, June 13 | PC Gaming Show | YouTube |
| TBA, June 13 | Future Games Show | YouTube | Twitch |
| 12pm, June 15 | Nintendo Direct + Treehouse Live | YouTube | Twitch |
