Editor's take: E3 2021 is expected to kick off on June 13 with three days of broadcast content, followed by a "consumer experience" via the E3 app. Without an in-person element, however, it could be tougher for the ESA to convince game companies to pay a big fee to be part of the festivities. That's especially true these days when other major players like Sony and Nintendo are already hosting their own shows, sans middle man.

We learned in early March that the 2021 installment of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) would not feature an in-person element. This led to rumors that there might be some sort of paywalled element added to this year's E3, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

A spokesperson for the organizing body, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), said in a statement issued to Video Games Chronicles that there will be no elements at E3 2021 that will be behind a paid-for-pass or paywall.

Still, it seems the rumors did have legs at some point. According to at least one major game company VGC spoke to, the paywall idea was very real and could have come at a cost of $35 for a "premium package."

The official E3 account on Twitter said they look forward to the opportunity to "fill you in on all the real news for the event very soon."

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