This year’s E3, the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, has been canceled entirely, organizers from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) confirmed on Thursday. E3 2022 was due to take place in an online-only format sometime this summer after a plan to revive the in-person version of the show in January was canceled, but it appears there will be no version of E3 at all this year.
Breaking new ground about the cancellation of E3 2022, partners and publishers say they’ve been informed by ESA via email that this year’s digital event has been cancelled.
ESA confirmed in a statement to Polygon that E3 2022 has been canceled entirely, adding that E3 2023 is set to return as an in-person and online event. Here is ESA’s full statement:
E3 will return in 2023 with a reinvigorated showcase celebrating new and exciting video games and industry innovations.
We previously announced that E3 will not be held in person in 2022 due to the ongoing health risks related to COVID-19. Today we announce that there will be no digital E3 showcase in 2022 either.
Instead, we will focus all of our energy and resources on delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer. Whether on the show floor or on your favorite devices, Showcase 2023 will bring the community, media and industry back together in a whole new format and interactive experience.
We look forward to bringing E3 2023 fans around the world live from Los Angeles.
Stay tuned for more news and announcements soon.
ESA said last year that it planned for E3 to return to an in-person event in 2022, after canceling the 2020 event and holding a digital version in 2021. Game companies such as Nintendo, Ubisoft, Xbox, Square Enix, Capcom and Warner Bros attended E3 2021 and were able to watch for free.
In light of the news of E3 2022’s cancellation, organizers of Summer Game Fest, a hands-on E3 replacement headed by The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley, reminded the fans that Summer Game Fest 2022 will take place in June with a “spectacular live kickoff show” hosted by Keighley. E3 usually took place in June and it seems Keighley’s show will help fill the void left by ESA.
