Electronic Arts announced that their usual E3 showcase, EA Play Live, will be missing E3 entirely this year, and will go on a month later on July 22.
EA Play Live is coming back July 22nd. Save the date! pic.twitter.com/qh9OOGhPTm
— Electronic Arts (@EA) May 11, 2021
Given that last year there was no E3, which forced publishers to put on their own showcases, it’s not entirely surprising that at least one show has splintered off into its own thing this year. Instead it’ll probably be a part of the Summer Game Fest, which promised to be more focused this year. With the relative success of those individual shows, it makes sense that some might opt out of E3 proper, and for a few of these publishers, the branding is already in place for their own show.
Ubisoft, for example, has dubbed their shows “Ubisoft Forward,” and that is what they are bringing to E3 this year, as opposed to the traditional Ubisoft E3 press conference. That makes Ubisoft’s presentation feel more like a standalone thing happening during E3 than an official part of E3 itself. EA Play Live has mostly taken place in the last few years outside of the conference center where the rest of the E3 press conferences happen, so EA feels like they’ve been ahead of the curve in this sense.
EA putting on an E3-caliber show a month later is quite the statement, though, and it’s unknown if EA just wants the distance for themselves or to have more time to prepare for a big show. While we don’t know exactly what the show will be composed of, some of the staples, like a new FIFA, will likely be there. It’s also probably safe to expect a big look at the Battlefield title the publisher has confirmed is coming this year, but has yet to show. Beyond these marquee titles, and updates on games we know of or have already (like Apex Legends), there are bound to be some fresh new announcements. We’ll just be waiting a little longer than expected to see what’s coming from EA now. C’mon: Give us Titanfall 3. It’s time.