Pour one for “world reveals” and “world exclusives”. E3 will not take place at all this summer, IGN reports. For 2022, event organizers with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) had no plans to host a personal event, citing health concerns from the then-emerging omicron variant in January, although the original statement never explicitly stated that a digital event will happen this year. “Due to the continuing health risks surrounding Covid-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and exhibitors, E3 will not take place in person in 2022,” ESA said in a statement at the time. “However, we are excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.” Kotaku contacted ESA for comment, but did not receive an immediate response. This is the second time in three years that ESA has not held its annual hype fest. In 2020, due to the pandemic, the organizers stopped it. The event returned last year, albeit as a purely digital affair. Rumors have been circulating since January that E3 would not take place this year. It’s a huge blow, as E3 struggles to stay relevant amid the proliferation of unrelated digital events, such as Sony’s regular State of Play exhibitions and Nintendo’s hugely popular but disappointingly sporadic Direct streams. But it is in line with trends around the declining relevance of E3, as publishers move away from a single week of advertising campaigning and instead to individual events throughout the year. Sony has not participated in E3 for years. Earlier this month, EA canceled its annual report, EA Play Live. Instead, he will reveal developments about his upcoming games – such as Skate 4 – in excerpts as the details will be ready for the public. Minutes after the rumors about the cancellation of E3 started to spread on the internet, Geoff Keighley, the presenter of the Summer Game Fest and Game Awards, and the owner of a seemingly bottomless closet with sneakers, posted an emoji with the eye on eye. The Summer Game Fest’s Twitter account, meanwhile, reassured fans that the event would begin with a live show, with details to follow.
