22 years ago, I walked into the first E3 as a wide-eyed 15-year-old kid who didn’t quite know his place in the world. E3 Expo brought my hobby out of my computer and into mainstream culture.

To be honest, the spectacle of E3 convinced me that I should devote my career to this incredible medium. I also marveled I was even allowed to walk the show floor. You see I wasn’t a legal attendee. I was only 15, so I had to carry a little permission letter in my pocket from the head of E3, which I proudly brandished to the security guards tasked with enforcing the 18-and-older age limit.

E3 Coliseum, June 13–14, The Novo at L.A. Live

Today, after attending all 22 E3s, I’m excited to announce the E3 COLISEUM. I’m teaming up with E3 to bring the culture of games to life through two days of panels, conversations, talks and other surprises.

For the past six months, we’ve quietly been working with all the major game teams to curate special presentations that will take place at The Novo at L.A. Live on Tuesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 14. Thousands of fans will get to attend in person. If you aren’t at E3, the sessions will stream live around the world. You’ll also be able to ask questions to the panelists on Facebook.

Alongside presentations from game developers, we will also welcome some very special guests from the broader entertainment world. They’ll join us to speak about the cultural significance of gaming and how this incredible medium has influenced their work. Lots of surprises in store here. We will be sharing more details in the coming weeks about the speaker lineup for E3 COLISEUM.

Sometimes I get jaded and forgot how cool it is that E3 will be open to the public for the first time this year. Just last week, for instance, I met a young Russian couple in New York who told me how excited they are to finally attend E3. The E3 Coliseum will only make E3 more exciting to fans, as it create an opportunity to see the world’s top game creators and special guests live on stage.

Stay tuned for more news soon on the games that will be there, but today we can tease that you will see major panels hosted by some of the world’s top game publishers including Activision, Bethesda Softworks, Gearbox Publishing, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and Xbox, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. All these publishers understand that our industry is stronger when we unite at E3 to showcase the most powerful form of entertainment in the world.

Hope to see you on June 13 at E3 COLISEUM!

Geoff Keighley