May has begun, and that officially puts us within a month of E3 2021. With a new, digital format, this will be the return of the event after COVID-19 made a 2020 show impossible. Several companies have already announced their involvement, among them Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, and most recently Square Enix.
Unfortunately, one such company has just announced a withdrawal from the show.
— Konami (@Konami) April 30, 2021
Per the above, Konami will no longer be participating in E3 2021 “due to timing”. This could be due to complications from developing from home, as well the recent declaration of a new COVID-19 based state of emergency in their home city of Tokyo.
Despite the unfortunate news, Konami assures fans they’re in “deep development on a number of key projects” and assures updates on those will arrive “in the coming months.” What those projects may be remains to be seen, though just a few weeks ago we were introduced to the return of their Getsu Fūma Den series in a stunning, Indie World debut.
The ESA has also released a statement a message of support for the decision.
E3 2021 is planned to begin on Saturday, June 12th. No other participants have announced changes to their involvement at this time.
Written by Ricky Berg
When he isn’t writing for Nintendo Wire, Ricky’s anticipating the next Kirby, Fire Emblem, or if the stars ever align, Mother 3 to be released. Till then he’ll have the warm comfort of Super Smash Bros. to keep him going.
