E3 2022 in all forms is canceled and we can't believe it

techradar.com:

Consider this the other shoe dropping. Almost three months after deciding to make the E3 gaming conference an all-digital event, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has pulled the plug on the entire affair.

«We previously announced that E3 would not be held in person in 2022 due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19,» the ESA told TechRadar. «Today, we announce that there will also be no digital E3 showcase in 2022.»

The news came first via an industry insider, Will Powers, PR lead, Americas for popular gaming gear company Razer. He tweeted the news of the apparent cancellation on Thursday: 

Just got an email… It's official, E3 digital is official cancelled for 2022. Lots of mixed feelings about this...March 31, 2022

That's the bad news. The good news is, as of today, the ESA is planning to bring back E3 in 2023. The organization told TechRadar, «E3 will return in 2023 with a reinvigorated showcase that celebrates new and exciting video games and industry innovations.»

The ESA added that it will «devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer.» 

It's been a rough few years for E3. In the face of the pandemic, it canceled the event in 2020, successfully held an all-digital one last year, but was forced to again cancel in-person festivities for 2022 in the face of the Omicron surge.

While we're mostly through that COVID variant wave, ESA has made another tough decision for the once-bustling event (66,000 attendees in 2019), pulling the plug on the digital experience, as well.

The loss of even a virtual event could be a tough pill to swallow for gamers who see it as more than just an industry trade show. As TRG's Vic Hood wrote when E3 canceled this