Following reports that the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is considering charging for elements of this year's E3 online event, the association declared that the event will be "free to all attendees."

In February, the ESA announced that this year's E3 would be completely digital due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The online event will feature "multiple keynotes, awards shows, preview nights, and individual streams from various publishers and influencers," while media previews and streamable demos were held by major publishers during the traditional E3 show Similar to pre-show press events, they will be streamed in the week leading up to the event.

According to a report published today by VGC, several sources have said that ESA is considering charging for access to parts of the event. The "major gaming companies" interviewed by the site were critical of the idea and have yet to make a definite decision. And shortly after the report broke, the ESA tweeted that the online show would be free for everyone.

"We can confirm that E3 2021 will be 100% free for attendees and that there will be no paid elements at E3 2021," an ESA representative confirmed in a follow-up statement.

This is good news for gamers eager to see the show, and frankly, we don't see how it could have been otherwise: the early days of E3, first held in 1995, were an industry-only event, but in recent years, especially with the advent of live streaming, it has become open to the public. However, the timing of ESA's tweet and the suggestion that the paywall story was not "real news" did not sit well with Andy Robinson of VGC, the author of the original report.

Whether or not ESA was considering paywalls prior to today, it will no doubt stick to today's official statement: no part of E3 will be paywalled.

ESA previously announced that E3 2021 would take place from June 15-17, but, well, given the fluid state of all things, it is not certain if that date is still held today. What is certain is that the PC Gaming Show will return in June.