E3 shifts to online-only event because of Omicron concerns

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The Entertainment Software Association decided to shift the Electronic Entertainment expo to an online only event because of the swine flu.

The E3 will not be held in person in 2022, due to the health risks surrounding COVID-19 and the potential impact on the safety of attendees, the ESA said in a statement. We are excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.

The show will likely take place online for the second year in a row, as concerns about COVID-19 pushed the June 2021 show into an online-only event and scuttled the 2020 event entirely. The ESA said it is excited about the possibilities of an online event.

The Omicron variant of the coronaviruses caused a huge burst in infections, and so the game industry's publishers are being cautious. Despite the risks of being a "superspreader" event, the tech trade show is going forward with its in-person event.

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While E3 is still months away and the current spike could be over by that time, the organization is in the midst of signing up companies to take exhibition space, as it often takes months for companies to pull their booths together for the big show, which in normal times draws more than 50,000

There is an update at 12:56 p.m. The statement has been modified.

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