E3 Coliseum to give players an inside look at highly anticipated games

By Gabe Gurwin May 4, 2017

Inside the E3 show floor

In years past, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, has been a relatively closed-door affair, limiting attendance to industry folk and the press, but with this year’s event being open to the public, fans now have the opportunity to get an inside look at their most anticipated games. The Entertainment Software Association is going all-in on the concept with the E3 Coliseum, presenting it as a stage for publishers and developers to show off their latest games, interact with fans, and even take questions from both attendees and those watching around the world.

Taking place at The Novo in Los Angeles on June 13 and 14, the E3 Coliseum is “a spectacular main stage that brings video game fans closer to their favorite games and creators,” according to the ESA. Developers will offer behind-the-scenes looks at their latest games and multiple publishers — including Activision, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Sony, and Microsoft, to name a few — will be hosting their own panels so that fans can ask questions about upcoming releases.

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The E3 Coliseum will be open to anyone who already has a ticket to E3, but online viewers will also be able to take part via Facebook. The official E3 page will offer an inside look at some of the panels and will also give viewers a chance to submit their own questions.

“We are working around the clock to produce programming that will give fans unprecedented access to the biggest games and news from E3 and celebrate this industry’s importance to entertainment culture,” said producer Geoff Keighley in a press release. Keighley is also responsible for The Game Awards, a yearly show that has been greeted with a positive reception as a replacement to Spike’s original “VGA” ceremonies.

E3 will take place in Los Angeles from Tuesday, June 13 through June 15, though press conferences will begin that Sunday, June 11. Electronic Arts will also be holding its separate “EA Play” event on June 10.

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With E3 2022 canceled, these are the summer gaming events to watch

We learned this week that 2022 will be the second year since 1995 to not have any kind of E3 expo. While the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) says E3's physical and digital cancelation this year enables it to "devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer," it also raises questions regarding how game announcements will happen this summer. Companies like Microsoft and Nintendo often tie big reveals to E3, so what is the industry's plan now that E3 2022 is officially canceled?
So far, we only know of a couple of events that will take place, though there's still time for a lot more to be announced. For those wondering how E3 2022's cancelation will impact summer 2022's game reveal landscape, we've broken down everything that is and isn't happening -- and that might happen -- in the coming months.
What's not happening
E3's absence leaves a crater in the usual gaming hype cycle. Typically, the yearly event took place for a week in Los Angeles and served as a spot where game publishers could announce and advertise their upcoming slates of titles and game-related products. In 2020, the ESA canceled the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returned digitally in 2021 with mixed results.

On March 31, the event organizers at the ESA confirmed that there would be no digital or physical E3 event this year. That was quite surprising as more and more in-person events are returning, and the ESA even demonstrated that it could hold the event digitally before. The event may return in 2023, but this year the E3 event that typically consolidates many gaming announcements to one week in June won't play out like normal.
Outside of E3, we also know that EA won't hold its yearly EA Play Live event this summer. Typically, the publisher has its own events outside of E3, but chose not to this year because "this year things aren't lining up to show you everything on one date." That means that if we get new information on titles like the Dead Space remake or the next Dragon Age and Mass Effect, it won't be at an E3-adjacent event.
What is happening
There are still some major gaming events that will take place this summer. This June, the biggest one is Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest. The creator of The Game Awards plans to hold a Summer Game Fest Kickoff Livestream full of new trailers and announcements. Last year's event featured the release date of Elden Ring, so there are certainly high expectations surrounding the showcase, especially as E3 won't be drawing away any reveals. An indie-focused Day of the Devs presentation and other Summer Game Fest-branded events are also expected to take place this June. Keighley tweeted that Summer Game Fest festivities "will be less than one month this year."
IGN confirmed that its Summer of Gaming event would also take place in June and feature exclusive trailers, gameplay, and interviews. Bethesda has also teased that it will show Starfield this summer, and we're supposed to get another look at Final Fantasy XVI soon.
As for in-person events, a couple of them are happening later in the summer. Gamescom, a European gaming expo equivalent to E3, will happen in person in Cologne, Germany. In Japan, the Tokyo Game Show will be the final big in-person summer event between September 15 and 18. While E3 might not be happening, it's clear that some digital showcases will happen this summer and that events outside of America are still on track to take place in person.

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E3 2022 is canceled, physically and digitally

E3 2022 has been canceled, both digitally and in-person, according to a series of reports. After canning hopes of an in-person event earlier this year, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has informed its partners that a digital event won't be happening this year either.

The news of the event being halted for the year comes from a tweet from Razer PR lead Will Powers. Powers stated that he received an email detailing E3 digital's cancellation before the ESA even put out an official statement. That tweet was later confirmed by various partners and press.

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EA cancels its E3-adjacent live event this year

ea play live 2020

Electronic Arts, one of the largest publishers in gaming, won't be having its E3 season showcase this year, saying that it won't be able to present games to fans on time.

In a statement given to IGN, EA said that it will instead share more details about its ongoing projects "when the time is right." EA's full statement can be found below.