COVID-19 caused most in-person events to be canceled last year, and with vaccines only now beginning to roll out, 2021 will continue carrying out digital alternatives to bringing communities together. According to recent reports, E3 2021 will be continuing on its all-digital front this year again as the ESA confirms to us that they'll have more details to share soon regarding what this means for gamers. 

The initial report of E3 2021 came from Video Game Chronicle with a person outside of the ESA sharing details on this year's event. While the ESA did promise a virtual showcase for 2020, the actual event didn't happen, instead shifting its focus to the year ahead with 2021's festivities.

According to pitch documents that were sent out to a variety of publishers, the company is looking to host a three-day live stream event that will take place between June 15 -17. According to the decks provided, there will be several two-hour keynote sessions for gamers to enjoy (much like the Coliseum during the actual in-person event) in addition to a whole host of streams from developers, publishers, and popular content creators. 

"We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together,” an official spokesperson from the ESA tells Game Informer. “We are having great conversations with publishers, developers, and companies across the board, and we look forward to sharing details about their involvement soon.”

The information revealed also shows off the plan for playable demos as well as "thousands" of meetings that members of the media can schedule beforehand, much like the actual event itself in years prior. 

The ESA is in a position right now where it needs to tread carefully. Since the showcase has become public, E3 has been under massive amounts of scrutiny for disorganization and a failure to balance the industry-side of the show. Pair that with the 2019 leak that shared personal information of thousands of content creators and journalists, including information like home addresses, phone numbers, and more, and the ESA needs to prove to fans and the industry alike that it can pivot safely and in the best interest of showgoers. 

Currently, the ESA is shopping around an event deck to a variety of publishers to ensure that the digital event can meet expectations and the vision of the company. As previously mentioned, the company will have more official details coming soon. 

Forza Horizon 4 is coming to Steam on March 9, marking the first time the franchise has appeared on a non-Microsoft platform. Like the Xbox version, the Steam port will feature full cross-play and all of its released DLC. The Steam version is a collaboration between developer Playground Games and Sumo Digital. 

The game was originally released in October 2018 to critical acclaim (including a 9.25 out of 10 from Game Informer), with many hailing it as one of, if not the best racing game of the last generation. What separates the Forza Horizon series from the mainline counterpart, Forza Motorsport, is its open-world approach to racing. Set on giant maps, players are free to roam around and complete a variety of race types and objectives (many of them silly) to increase their reputation, purchase new cars from a staggeringly large garage, buy fancy homes to house said vehicles, and more. Forza Horizon 4 introduced seasons to the series, which changed the dynamic of races on top of adding beautiful visual variety. Over the years various car packs and modes, including a battle royale, have kept the Horizon 4 going strong.  

Speaking of expansions, Microsoft and Playground also announced today that the Hot Wheels Legends Car Pack is coming “soon”. While the official details haven't been made available, I imagine it'll be similar to the Hot Wheels content in Forza Horizon 3 which included new cards and Hot Wheels style tracks.

With the move to Steam, racing fans without an Xbox platform have the chance to get behind the wheel of one of the best titles the genre has to offer. Meanwhile, the next mainline Forza Motorsport game is currently in the development for Xbox Series X and Windows 10 but seemingly won't be releasing any time soon. Meanwhile, Playground Games also has its hands full working on the next Fable game.