E3 2020 participating companies listed on leaked ESA website

Leading video game publishers including Activision, Take-Two and Ubisoft are listed as “participating companies” on what’s seemingly an official E3 website scheduled to go live on February 13.

As spotted by a ResetEra user, the site is currently being hosted on the WebOps platform Pantheon.io and is publicly available without password protection.

If genuine, the leak will cause further embarrassment for E3 owner the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which angered visitors last year by leaking a list of personal details belonging to over 2,000 members of the media who attended E3 2019, including their home addresses and phone numbers.

As well an initial list of planned E3 2020 attendees, the site also says the ESA has increased security measures surrounding data collection from media representatives registering for the event, which is scheduled to take place from June 9-11 at the LA Convention Center.

It should be noted that as the website in question is not officially scheduled to launch until Thursday, according to the official E3 site, the information currently accessible may not be factually accurate, although VGC has contacted the ESA for comment.

Update: An ESA spokesperson acknowledged Wednesday’s leak in a statement provided to VGC.

“What we discovered is that a staging link for E3’s new 2020 website was temporarily accessible while the site was being actively tested and reviewed for public launch,” they said. “We understand that the staging link connected to the new public version of the website and confirmed that no access-controlled sections of the new site were accessible.”

The ESA also said in a press release sent out following the leak: “Several leading video game companies have already committed to participating in E3 2020,
including Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Bethesda Softworks, Sega, Capcom, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive Software, Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc., and Warner Bros. Games, among others.”

Original story continues: “Below is a list of the major video game industry and business partners you need to see while you’re at E3,” the website reads, but it doesn’t specify in what capacity the companies will be attending the show. “Please continue to refer to this list as it is continually updated,” it adds.

Confirming an earlier VGC report, Sony said in January that PlayStation will not attend E3 for the second year in a row. Xbox subsequently announced plans to attend E3 2020.

The ESA has come under significant pressure to reinvent E3 in recent years, and in late January it vowed “to shake things up” for 2020’s event, which is being created in collaboration with production company Iam8bit.

“We are well down the path on the development and production of a large, super fun floor experience that celebrates gaming culture in exciting new ways,” it said.

“We will be showcasing E3 to the world through new streaming and digital programming while creating gatherings on the show floor that let people do what they love the most… play and celebrate games.

“We’ll have surprise guests, amazing stage experiences, access to insiders and experiential zones that delight the senses. It will be incredibly inclusive, celebrating all aspects of our industry.”

According to an E3 2020 pitch deck sent to the lobbying group’s members (which includes most major game publishers) last year, the ESA has been attempting to re-brand the long-running industry event as a “fan, media and influencer festival” for 2020.