E3 2022 Completely Canceled, Digital Included

E3 has been canceled entirely this year, IGN reports as further confirmation by VentureBeat.

The Entertainment Software Association, which organizes E3, said in a statement to VentureBeat:

“We previously announced that we will not be hosting E3 in person in 2022 due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19. Today we announce that there will also be no digital E3 showcase in 2022.”

ESA announced in January that there will be no physical competitions, but an online-only version is still available. Today’s news was broken when Rebekah Valentine of IGN checked the contents of an email sent to Razor PR Director Will Powers, who tweeted that digital E3 would no longer happen. These emails appear to have been sent to all ESA partners prior to the announcement.

There has been no direct E3 since 2019. The 2020 show has also been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 iteration was an online event featuring a trailer for media and a digital booth. However, many publishers declined to participate or appeared at Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest, making E3 2021 a shallow disappointment to fans and the press.

With the show’s acceptance in 2021, ESA told VentureBeat* that it plans to “revitalize” E3 in 2023 as “a revitalized showcase celebrating new and exciting video games and industry innovations.”