Not saying we’re surprised at all, seeing as the pandemic is still raging on across the globe, but at least we have confirmation that the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is taking E3 2022 online after doing so last year.

E3 2022 will be an online-only event

The ESA shared a statement with GamesBeat, saying the following:

“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. We are nonetheless excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”

Although things may still change in the next few months, some people believe that the statement by the ESA is just purely for PR, and that the annual event is indeed “throwing in the towel,” so to speak.

Industry veteran Jason Schreier says that “E3 is all but dead” and that the ESA has already given up on the event since there weren’t even dates on their website months ago. Omicron seemed to be a convenient excuse but it may actually be over, especially since the major publishers have already been holding their own online presentations with less spending and a bigger audience.

Whatever the case may be, June is still months away and the ESA has promised more updates coming so we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the weeks and months to come.

Do you think E3 is dead and that all publishers should just hold their own online events?