E3 is the time of year when journalists from all over the world descend on Los Angeles to play the next wave of blockbuster games. But this year, EA is trying something different: it's opening up its game previews to the public. The publisher will be holding two events — one in LA from June 12th through the 14th, the other in London on the 12th — where fans can get hands-on time with the company's latest games, as well as engage in some kind of competitive e-sports event (much like Activision, EA recently launched a new division focused entirely on e-sports). There are currently no details on what games will be there — likely because some have yet to be announced — but the events will be live streamed for those who can't attend.

Both events take place just before E3, which kicks off on the 14th at the LA Convention Center. According to IGN, while EA will still have its regular E3 keynote event to announce new games, it won't have a standard E3 booth, instead replacing it with the public-facing event, dubbed EA Play. The news follows the ongoing trend of big companies bypassing press and going direct to fans. Nintendo, for example, releases major news updates through its publicly accessible Nintendo Direct videos. While EA's event will be open to everyone, space will be limited — you can register at the official site to learn more about how to get tickets.