The ESA Will Not Host a Physical E3 2022

Update 4:45 p.m. EST: IGN's Rebekah Valentine said the ESA was unable to confirm whether it will host a full digital event this year similar to the 2021 event. The organization will only say it will be part of future announcements.

Original Story:

E3 2022 is all digital once more. The Entertainment Software Association told GamesBeat in a statement that due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns, this year's expo will be held remotely again.

"Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022,” the ESA said in its statement. “We are nonetheless excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon."

The ESA provided no further details about what to expect from it, though assuming it follows 2021's model, E3 2022 will likely involve another round of pre-recorded presentations from attending publishers.

The question is who will actually be attending.

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E3 2022 Goes All Digital Again as Pandemic Concerns Continue

Geoff Keighley was quick to remind Twitter that the Summer Games Fest will return, with several months of reveals and deep dives into upcoming games. Previous iterations of the Summer Game Fest saw publishers ranging from indie darlings such as Devolver Digital to major AAA publishers including Sega involved.

However, the pandemic has shown that publishers don't always need a major venue to reach their audience. Nintendo and PlayStation have found substantial success with their independent showcases, and while notables such as Capcom and Xbox supported E3 in 2021, it's uncertain if they'll do the same this year. One recurring theme from last year's expo was the feeling that most showcases could have been separate or didn't even need to happen, since the reveals were minor compared to what was shown off in years past.

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