YouTube Gaming teams up with host Geoff Keighley for E3

YouTube Gaming is going all-in at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the big game trade show in Los Angeles starting June 12. Last year, YouTube drew millions of gamers to its livestream of events, such as the fan event where Bethesda unveiled Fallout 4.

This year, YouTube Gaming will blanket the show with coverage again with dozens of livestreams scheduled throughout the week on a new event page just for E3. And YouTube Gaming is teaming up once again with Geoff Keighley, the host of The Game Awards. Keighley will host a 12-hour stream starting at 9 a.m. on June 13, sponsored by Samsung.

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The event page hub will be a home for livestreams and on-demand videos, with all of the E3 coverage in one place. You’ll be able to browse videos and streams, chat live with fellow gamers, vote for your favorite trailers in the legendary Trailer Battle, and catch up on announcements you might have missed.

“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with YouTube again for live coverage of E3,” Keighley said in an email to GamesBeat. “Last year’s YouTube Live at E3 was the largest livestream of the year on YouTube in terms of audience, so we’re looking forward to building on that success for 2016 on June 13.”

Keighley said it’s a massive undertaking to do the 12 hours of live coverage, and it will be put together by a team of 75 people.

“We wanted to build coverage of E3 that blends together TV production values with the passion and fandom of the top influencers,” Keighley said. “It feels like we’re connecting together multiple generations of gamers, and YouTube really puts an unparalleled amount of promotion behind the game industry during E3.  We’re not just talking to hardcore gamers — we’re reaching into the mainstream, too.”

He noted that a lot of stories have been written about publishers pulling out of E3.

“Even if they don’t have booths on the show floor, I know EA and Activision’s games will be well represented in and around the show,” he said. “At the end of the day, E3 — at least in the eyes of consumers — is really anchored by the press conferences, and all of those are still taking place as part of our global livestream.”

He added, “That said, I’ve been to every E3 since 1995, and this year’s show does feel like the end of an era. The game industry industry needs an event like E3, but the industry-only format feels antiquated. Look at how many people watch our livestream on YouTube — it’s clear there is massive consumer interest in gathering together to celebrate gaming.”