E3 isn't happening in 2022. But cloud gaming can bring previews to the people at home.

There is talk about a theoretical E3 2022.

It is not happening. The rumor that Microsoft is going to hold an E3 style event in June is mostly based on chatter from GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb, who mentioned during a recent podcast that Microsoft is planning for an event in June. Even if E3 is announced, it is not the in-person exhibition that was canceled back in January.

The show has suffered in recent years. The proliferation of high-quality video streaming has made it easy for publishers to share news with the public on their own terms. Electronic Arts has not held an event at the show in over a year. Nintendo and Microsoft have scaled back their presence in other ways.

The Entertainment Software Association has had its share of problems. After a careless leak of attendee data, the industry group has struggled to regain the trust of the press. The pre-holiday summer months are a good time for publishers to make waves with their news because of the new competition from the likes of Summer Game Fest and IGN.

Cloud gaming capabilities have leveled off multiple times. Stadia has had its share of struggles as a business, but it is still able to deliver on the promise of high-end gaming streamed straight to your device.

For someone like me who works on the press side of the industry, I have had close experiences with this technology. Multiple major publishers rely on cloud gaming services to bring me the hands-on preview experience at home. It is fantastic.

If I were a full-time remote worker, streaming a game preview to my home computer would be a great way to cut down on travel time. The security benefit speaks for itself, as no one can pirate a playing experience that is managed remotely by the publisher. The game is over when they flip a switch.

There is no technical reason that cloud-based game previews cannot be opened to a wider audience. Publishers have a lot to gain and little to lose by letting you and your friends check out the kind of polished demonstration that gets trotted out at trade shows.

Many demo experiences are separate from the ongoing work of building the game. If there is more work happening, why not show it to more people? Playing a polished demo that is derived from yourself is more enlightening than reading a preview written by someone else.

Publishers shied away from showing unfinished work to people who weren't industry professionals Games that aren't finished are usually a lot of bugs and unexpected issues. People who work in the industry make allowances for that before making a judgement.

As loud as the community can sometimes be, the gaming community is pretty plugged in. The proliferation of early access games, which are released unfinished, often at a reduced price, and developed as feedback comes in, has helped people better understand the process.

Game makers have been teaching their audiences how the development process works for a long time. They monetized it in some cases, turning access to a public alpha test into pre-order bonuses.

Bring that thinking to the trade show circuit. Anyone can watch the Electronic Arts slate of reveals. For a small fee, you could sign up for some kind of access that would open the door to hands-on opportunities.

I think it is only a matter of time before it actually happens, but the premise I am attacking is that publishers should do this. Cloud gaming has already changed the landscape for preview access in the press, with the switch away from in-person meetings opening them up to a wider range of people. It is not far off to imagine similar opportunities being offered to the general public in a world where things like Steam Next Fest already exist.

E3 was never a public event until it became one in 2016 Whether or not that specific trade show comes back, the thinking that has always guided it can now be extended to outsiders as well in a way that hasn't been done before. It is hoped that our favorite publishers seize the opportunity sooner rather than later.