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Before 2021 ended, many video game fans were likely looking forward to the new year expecting that major trade shows like E3 would finally return to their usual format with in-person attendance. Unfortunately, the detection of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 has led to another rise in new daily infections, leading to the Entertainment Software Association’s decision to keep E3 2022 an online-only event.
“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 a statement on Thursday. “We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”
After the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March 2020, many annual conferences and trade shows around the world were subsequently canceled. Some of them opted for virtual presentations, while others were ultimately canceled, like the E3 2020. The ESA managed to bring back the yearly event in the following year, albeit with digital showcases only.
ESA’s statement did not specifically mention “E3 2022,” but its wording suggests in-person attendance and presentations are the only aspects of the trade show that have been canceled. But it also appears to suggest that the organization may still be planning on conducting the events this year, possibly in an online-only format just like last year.
Despite E3’s new format last year, ESA managed to gather some of the biggest video game companies, developers, and publishers. Fans also looked forward to the online events, especially the first combined showcase of Xbox and Bethesda that took place within the E3 2021 schedule.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of in-person attendance for E3 2022 is not surprising after seeing several companies pull out from physical attendance at CES 2022 earlier this week. By late November 2021, the WHO categorized the COVID-19 Omicron as a Variant of Concern. Then, the United States recorded its first case of the Omicron variant last Dec. 1. Since then, the country has seen a steady rise of new daily infections that peaked on Thursday with 727,923 new cases.
Photo by Aranami on Flickr with Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0)
