E3 2022 is canceled

Illustration by Alex Castro

There will be no E3 this year. Will Powers, PR for the gaming peripheral manufacturer, said that he received an email stating that the digital event was canceled. IGN initially reported the news that they had independently seen the email that confirmed E3's cancellation.

Just got an email... It's official, E3 digital is official cancelled for 2022. Lots of mixed feelings about this...

— Will Powers NYC (@WillJPowers) March 31, 2022

The video game trade show and marketing event was going to be held in person. E3 was once again shifted from an in-person event to an online-only exhibition due to the Pandemic. It seems that the digital event has been canceled.

Concerns about the fate of E3 have been growing for the last few years. The prospect of a large and famously packed event is unattractive due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. A number of video game industry professionals tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Video game publishers have stopped showing their games at E3 in favor of hosting their own online events, like Nintendo's Direct showcases and Sony's State of Play.

As news of E3's cancellation broke, video game hype-man Geoff Keighley quickly announced that his Summer Game Fest would be held in June.

Excited to share that @SummerGameFest will return this June with a slate of events. We'll be producing another Kickoff Live show with announcements, news and first looks.



Much more to share in the coming weeks, along with some very cool new elements for '22. pic.twitter.com/jjXLG8Xueh

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) March 31, 2022

Stephen Totilo, the author of a book about the E3 show, said that the show will return in 2023 with a new look.