We were certainly hoping things would change enough for it not to be the case, but it seemed largely inevitable. E3 2021 has been canceled, at least in its traditional form, with the Board of Los Angeles Department of Convention and Tourism Development Commissioners planning some sort of digital replacement to be broadcast from the city.

The news, shared by VGC and available as part of an 84-page presentation on the city's official website, lists E3 2021 as a "canceled live event in 2021," with potential broadcast options at LA Live and/or the Los Angeles Convention Center. The same update says the city is still working on the license for the next two years' conferences.

We did already know that the ESA was considering doing a very different sort of E3 for 2021, per a statement it gave to GameSpot earlier this month. The organization said it was "transforming the E3 experience for 2021" and added that it would share details on publishers' involvement in the event soon.