E3 2011 doesn't technically start until tomorrow, but there's already plenty happening. Readers of yesterday's liveblog will know all about Tim's kidnapping at the hands of Hitman: Absolution developers, IO Interactive. We have word that he's alive and full of secrets, but can he and Graham make it through today? Here's an overview of today's schedule, and a few E3 stats thrown in for good measure.

ESA boss Michael Gallagher tells Venture Beat that 45,000 people will be marching through E3's turnstiles this year to see showings from more than 200 exhibitors. There will be 35,000 monitors at the conference, too. So there you go. Here's what's coming up today.

Microsoft press conference - 09:30 PT / 12:30 ET / 17:30 GMT

Microsoft recently said that Windows 8 would herald the start of a determined push into PC gaming , does this mean they'll be showing off anything new on PC? We're sceptical. Last year's Microsoft showing was pretty poor , and despite the recent release of Fable 3 on PC and the upcoming Age of Empires Online, there's not much indication that this year will be any different. You never know, though. E3 is always full of surprises.

EA press conference - 12:30 PT / 15:30 ET / 20:30 GMT

One game could steal the show this year, and that's Battlefield 3 . It was revealed yesterday on the Battlefield blog that multiplayer map Operation Metro will be playable for press on the show floor. It's likely some of that will be shown off at EA's conference later today. We also expect to see more of Mass Effect 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic , too. EA have a strong showing this year.

Ubisoft press conference - 14:30 PT / 17:30 ET / 22:30 GMT

Assassin's Creed Revelations is likely to be Ubisoft's big demo this year, but we could also catch a glimpse of Ghost Recon Online or, if we're lucky, learn more about their elusive god game, From Dust . We should expect some new announcements as well. It's about time we had another Splinter Cell, don't you think?

After the Ubisoft press conference there's a mammoth five hour conference from Sony. We don't expect to hear much PC related news coming out of that one, though we'll be keeping an eye on it, feeling sorry for all those captive journos (not really). You'll be able to keep up with all the new announcements, screenshots and trailers in our liveblog, which will be kicking off again later today.