The ESA has confirmed E3 2022 won’t be held in person in a statement issued this evening. Citing the “ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees”, the show will not be something both journalists and the public can physically attend this year. Interestingly, though, the statement doesn’t mention whether E3 will be presented digitally for a second year running.
While it may be a safe assumption the ESA does have something planned for the summer months, it hasn’t come out and confirmed anything at the time of writing. When GamesBeat asked a follow-up question on the possibility of an online event, the company replied that it is “excited about the possibilities of an online event”. Again, no confirmation.
There’s also talk online that the statement in question is nothing more than a cover-up. Business analyst Mike Futter said on Twitter that according to their sources, the ESA “had abandoned their dates for the Los Angeles Convention Center” back in mid-November. This would suggest the Entertainment Software Association never had any plans to host E3 2022 in public in the first place.
No matter what happens, we’ll still have Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest to look forward to. The popular host confirmed its return as soon as the ESA statement was issued, almost as if he’d planned it this way all along.
