Last month, the organizers behind E3 2021 confirmed that the event has moved to an online-only format. The decision came in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Normally, esports and gaming events going completely online would not be a problem. However, problems arose when a report came out that the ESA planned to charge audience members for this year's E3 event.

E3 2021 COSTS NOTHING THIS YEAR

A report by VGC indicated that the organizers initially planned to keep some parts of the event behind paywalls. Naturally, some game developers frowned on the idea. Additionally, players definitely would not want to shell out extra cash just to experience this year's E3 and maybe the organizer's picked up on that energy.

The official E3 Twitter account declared that no part of the E3 2021 digital show will require money. The ESA published a follow-up statement

“We can confirm that E3 2021 will be 100 percent free for attendees and that there will be no elements at E3 2021 that will be behind a paywall.”

Players looking forward to the earliest sneak peeks at the best upcoming games definitely appreciate the lack of paywalls. E3's announcement struck a chord with the VGC author in charge of the initial reports declaring the event will have paywalls.

Regardless, the fact stands that no payments need to be made to take part in this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. The question drifts away from whether or not the ESA intended to charge audience members in the first place. However, the timing of the announcements caused friction between the organizer and the website that published the initial reports.

E3 2021 kicks off from June 15 to June 17 this year. Many people need to adjust to the online-only format but there is one thing that everyone can be sure of. We'll all be in store for some great new game trailers.