E3 2020 What To Expect

E3 2020: What To Expect

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We may still be a few months away from one of the gaming world’s biggest events, but that doesn’t mean rumors and announcements haven’t already started flying about. With two next-gen consoles on the horizon, a whole raft of long-awaited game releases set for this year, and the anticipation of possible big reveals –  it looks as though E3 2020 is shaping up to be a bumper year.

Even with Sony ducking out for the second year in a row,  gaming fanatics are already feeling the excitement of another E3 filled with big news drops and hands-on gaming. In the past, E3 has been host to hardware reveals, game trailers, and exclusive first-looks at some exciting gameplay. 

There still isn’t much in the way of official information for this year’s event, but we’ll be updating this page in the run-up to make sure you’re as up to date as possible. So, let’s take a look at what to expect from E3 2020.

What Is E3?

The name E3 stands for “Electronic Entertainment Expo” and it first began way back in 1995. It’s a three-day convention in Los Angeles that covers all the latest and greatest in the world of gaming. Big-name brands will be in attendance and we’re likely to see their latest consoles, games, and upcoming announcements. There is also a collection of keynotes and panel discussions throughout the event.

It began as an industry-only event, but over recent years, it has slowly allowed more and more public access to the show floor. There has been talk of adding an industry-only day to help insiders have a smoother experience – but this has never been confirmed. In 2019, they sold 15,000 public tickets, this year that number has been increased to 25,000.

E3 2020 Dates

E3 takes place in June each year, and the official E3 2020 dates are June 9 (Tuesday) – June 11 (Thursday). The weekday dates really mark this as an industry-focused event, whereas most public conventions take place over a weekend. 

While these are the official E3 2020 dates, the weekend before will see a raft of announcements from individual press conferences from the biggest names. We’re talking Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Square Enix, etc. They usually make their announcements before the conference, with the show floor reserved for some hands-on experience with their new products. 

Update: E3 2020 has been canceled due to Coronavirus

We will be looking out for which brands are planning on holding digital conferences and streaming their events and announcements in place of attending the conference.

E3 2020 Tickets

There were three badge-types originally available for this year’s E3 event: two for the general public, and one for industry members. The first public ticket is the Gamer Badge. This gets you access to the show floor on June 10th and 11th only and gives you the chance to up close and personal with the amazing tech on show. These badges are first come, first served, and are likely to sell out, so you’ll want to act fast.

Next up is the Premium Badge. This is another public ticket and gives you full access to the entire three-day event. But, that’s not all. You also get a whole host of VIP services included such as a private VIP area, help booking a hotel, breakfast and lunch each day, and discounts at the convention itself. 

Finally, there is the Industry Badge. These are available until April 23rd and are complimentary to members of the gaming industry. You will have to prove you are a genuine industry member though by submitting certain proof and authentication through their website. These badges give you full access to the three-day event so you can get your hands on all the latest tech. And this is the badge that we would have been using to attend E3 2020!

E3 2020 Ticket Prices

  • Gamer Badge (Public) – $165
  • Premium Badge (Public) – $995
  • Industry Badge – Free

E3 2020 Location

E3 is held every year in Los Angeles, California at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The conference has been held there every year since 2009, so you know it’s well-equipped to deal with the bulging crowds this event usually attracts. But, with the Coronavirus outbreak leading to the show’s cancelation, it is now likely to consist of a series of digital events allowing the brands to get their scheduled announcements out there.

E3 2020 Lineup

The most important question though, is who is going to be at E3 2020? This really is one of the biggest gaming events of the year, so it’s no surprise that previous years have been chock full of all the biggest names in gaming. Let’s take a closer look at who will be attending E3 2020, or at least, will have announcements ready for us.

Sony At E3 2020

After being a regular feature at E3 for many years, Sony ducked out of attending back in 2019. And, they’re doing the same this year. That’s right, Sony will not be attending E3 2020. In a statement, Sony simply said that they “do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year.” As cryptic as that may sound, many are already speculating what the real reasons for their absence may be. One of the main theories floating around is that Sony has ducked out again due to ongoing disagreements with the ESA (the company that hosts E3). What these disagreements are is anyone’s guess, but these are the same rumors that surfaced thanks to their non-attendance last year.  

It’s worth remembering though, that they also have their own State of Play events that they host throughout the year. In recent years especially, they’ve reserved all their biggest announcements for these events, rather than bigger conventions. So, it may just be that Sony wants to keep all the best stuff for themselves.

Microsoft At E3 2020

Don’t worry fellow console gamers, Sony may be skipping out again, but Microsoft, and therefore Xbox, will be there. In fact, as soon as word came out that Sony wouldn’t be there, Xbox boss Phil Spencer took to Twitter to reassure gamers everywhere that they would be getting some Xbox goodness at this year’s event.

And with both tech giants releasing their next-gen consoles later this year, we can expect the new Xbox Series X to take center stage at this year’s E3. Hopefully, this means we’ll be able to get some hands-on time with the new console, or more likely, see it in action during their press conference. 

Phil Spencer was also quick to take to Twitter after the announcement of the event’s cancelation assuring fans that there would be a dedicated digital event in place of the conference itself.

Nintendo At E3 2020

Nintendo will also be in attendance at E3 2020. It’s unclear whether they will be showcasing any new hardware, unlike Xbox. There have been rumors of a Nintendo Switch Pro floating around for a while now, but this is still confirmed by Team Mario themselves, although E3 would be the perfect stage for this – especially with Sony leaving a nice big gap in the program. 

We should expect to see some updates, trailers, and/or gameplay for some of their upcoming titles, though. More information on the upcoming Breath of the Wild sequel would be more than welcome, as well as Metroid Prime 4 – both of which we’ve only had brief glimpses of so far. We’re expecting Super Smash Bros. to continue to dominate, though and we expect to see some more fighters announced with future DLC packs. 

Nintendo haven’t detailed their plans to replace E3 2020 yet, but have hinted that they will also try and organize digital events to keep fans and customers up to date.

E3 2020 Games

It’s not just the consoles themselves that dominate E3, game studios and publishers also use this as a platform to bring us more information on their upcoming titles. The release docket for 2020 is packed full of some interesting video game titles, many of them only with very vague release dates. So, we expect E3 2020 to showcase some of these titles in more detail, and maybe even grant us a release date (and hopefully a date that doesn’t then get pushed back).

Square Enix

The Final Fantasy VII Remake will be sitting on millions of PS4s by the time E3 2020 rolls around, providing it doesn’t get pushed back again, of course. But, Square Enix has been confirmed to showcase at this year’s event, so what will they be showcasing? Well, we have the new Avengers game dropping in 2020, so hopefully, this means we get a look at some gameplay.

They also have their intriguing RPG shooter Outriders set to release in September 2020. They recently showcased some gameplay on their own blog, so it looks as though the game is moving on at a good pace. 

Ubisoft

2020 is looking like another great year for Ubisoft. Despite titles being delayed (just like every other publisher), the buzz is still palpable for their upcoming games. Releasing this year we have Watch Dogs: Legion, Gods and Monsters, Roller Champions, and The Settlers. And, we also have Beyond Good And Evil 2 and Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad on the horizon.

Ubisoft also enjoys announcing new titles at E3, so there could be even more to look forward to from these guys.

Bethesda

DOOM Eternal will already have treated us with many hours of heavy metal fun when E3 rolls around, but that’s not all Bethesda has planned for 2020. Ghostwire: Tokyo, Starfield, and The Elder Scrolls VI are all on the release list for the near future, and there are bound to be more DLC packs for Fallout and ESO games on the horizon. 

Google Stadia

Although they haven’t been confirmed as an attendee at the convention this year yet, we expect that Google Stadia will make an appearance. The game streaming platform was announced just before E3 2019, and now that it’s available to play, could that mean we get to see them at E3 2020? Who knows. But it would make sense for Google to have a more gaming-focused presence there, and maybe even show us some new games available on their platform. 

Who’s Attending E3 2020?

Here’s everyone who has been confirmed to be attending E3 2020:

  • Activision Publishing Inc.
  • Amazon Game Studios
  • BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.
  • Bethesda Softworks
  • Capcom USA, Inc.
  • Deep Silver, Inc.
  • Epic Games, Inc.
  • GungHo Online Entertainment America
  • HORI USA
  • Kalypso Media Group
  • KontrolFreak
  • NCSOFT
  • nDreams
  • Nintendo of American Inc.
  • NVIDIA
  • Oculus from Facebook
  • RDS Industries Inc.
  • Rebellion
  • SEGA
  • Square Enix, Inc.
  • Take-Two Interactive Software
  • THQ Nordic
  • Ubisoft Entertainment SA
  • UnnamesVR by Paracosma
  • Warner Bros. Games
  • Xbox
  • XSEED Games
  • Xsolla
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