E3 might by no means grace the halls of the LA Conference Middle once more—and if it does, it will not be in 2022. As reported by GamesBeat, the yr’s largest gaming conference goes to be held on-line as a substitute of in-person. E3 pivoted to being online-only in 2021, following its cancelation in 2020 as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.
“As a result of ongoing well being dangers surrounding Covid-19 and its potential influence on the security of exhibitors and attendees, E3 won’t be held in individual in 2022,” the Leisure Software program Affiliation, which organizes E3, advised GamesBeat.
Whereas Covid-19 little doubt performed a job on this determination, the timing of the announcement makes it sound just like the ESA is reacting to the present surge of infections as a result of new Omicron variant. Based on analyst Mike Futter, the ESA was already planning to skip the in-person occasion this yr.
“That is spin”, Futter tweeted. “The ESA’s occasion final summer time was… not good. And publishers have discovered they needn’t pay exorbitant charges to the ESA to succeed in press and shoppers.”
That is spin. I heard from sources in mid-November, earlier than Omicron’s emergence on the finish of that month that the ESA had deserted their dates for the LACC. https://t.co/2oIbkNDFBxJanuary 6, 2022
As Futter factors out, it is laborious to see what future E3 has as an trade occasion, both on-line or in-person. Recreation publishers have discovered they do not want the ESA’s assist arranging livestreams to point out off their video games, and the final two summers have seen the week of “E3” unfold right into a full month’s value of streaming showcases just like the Wholesome Direct.
Fan-oriented occasions like PAX might dwell on when Covid-19 dies down, however 2019 may successfully have been the tip of E3. I might anticipate this yr’s summer time of streams to rely even much less on the ESA’s group than final yr’s did. Perhaps that is the yr Geoff Keighley fully takes over.