E3 2021 was a disappointment for big reveals – but not indie games.
Let’s not beat around the bush: E3 2021 was a bit of a disappointment. At least, compared to previous years. While we’re typically used to the annual gaming convention being stuffed to the brim with big announcements and reveals, this year’s E3 arguably wasn’t quite that. Sure, we got a few big reveals, like a 2022 release window for Breath of the Wild 2, the announcement of Forza Horizon 5 and a release date for Starfield, but the number of truly mind-blowing unveilings didn’t quite stack up to what we hoped. Though, let’s be honest, given the state of the world this past year, we were probably being a bit naive. This year’s E3 undoubtedly felt and looked different to previous years, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With less AAA reveals to contend with, weird and wonderful indie games that would typically be overshadowed by these announcements were able to take center stage at E3 2021 – and it was a very welcome change. Frankly, to complain about E3 2021 being a bit rubbish is a kick in the face to the developers who have worked tirelessly throughout a pandemic to be able to present something, anything, at this year’s event. Developers have battled against remote working, impatient fans and company targets to still bring us the games we love – even if they end up arriving a bit later than we hoped. So, while it’s disappointing that we didn’t get a look at big hitters like Hellblade 2, The Elder Scrolls 6, Dragon Age 4 and BioShock 4, it’s also understandable. And the few big announcements we did get packed more of a punch, as they weren’t contending with similar announcements from other publishers. What’s more, just because some of these games didn’t make an appearance at E3 2021, doesn’t mean we won’t see them in the near future. In recent years, we’ve seen publishers and developers opting to host their own conferences outside of the E3 sphere – with some falling under the Summer Game Fest umbrella.
