E3 Shifts to Online-Only Event Due to Omicron Surge Concerns

E3 is a special time of year. It always signifies when gamers can celebrate their passion for games, waiting eagerly for the over-the-top press conferences, big announcements, new trailers, and awesome demos. Everyone always discusses their favorite moments from the convention, from the emotional announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess to the exciting orchestrated reveal of God of War. Even as digital distribution of information and other events became more popular over the last decade and E3’s style of presenting became sort of an archaic notion, it still continues to be a beacon of gaming culture.

This week, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced that due to growing concerns with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, 2022’s E3 will now shift to a digital only event, citing that “potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees” are their prioritized concerns.

Here’s the official statement from The ESA to Venture Beat:

“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 to GamesBeat. “We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”
ESA Statement on E3 2022

Though that’s a great statement, gaming analyst and consultant Mike Futter quote tweeted the article (seen tweeted out by known Twitter personality Wario64) stating that this statement is a spin on something much more concerning for the ESA, hearing that they abandoned their dates at the Los Angeles Convention Center as early as November.

This is spin. I heard from sources in mid-November, before Omicron's emergence at the end of that month that the ESA had abandoned their dates for the LACC. https://t.co/2oIbkNDFBx
— Mike Futter (@Futterish) January 6, 2022

Whatever is going on, it’s a shame that COVID is still impacting everything top to bottom, not just video games. Remember, E3 was cancelled completely in 2020 as the ESA couldn’t quite make the proper adjustments in time for a digital event. In 2021, E3 returned as a hybrid event. What are your thoughts on an all digital event? Will you still be tuning in? E3 2022 runs from June 14 through the 16, 2022 with multiple press conferences presenting in the days before.

Let us know in our Discord or Facebook group!

Source: ESA Website, Venture Beat, Mike Futter

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