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E3 2022 is canceled, physically and digitally

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

— Will Powers (@WillJPowers) March 31, 2022

This isn’t the first time E3 has been canceled. The 2020 show was shut down during the first year of the pandemic, with it making a digital-only return in 2021. Some hoped that the show might return to in-person in 2022, but those hopes were dashed in January when the ESA canceled the live show due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant. When the ESA announced that news, it didn’t confirm that an E3 showcase would happen at all in 2022, though some assumed it meant a digital pivot was coming.

In a report from IGN, sources connected to the event claim that discussions about a possible digital E3 have been ongoing ever since the cancellation of the physical equivalent. However, a lack of momentum reportedly stalled the ESA’s plans.

IGN’s sources state that the ESA seems to be making plans to regroup for a larger comeback in 2023. The ESA has yet to put out an official statement claiming that anything is being planned, let alone an official cancellation announcement of a potential digital event.

Digital Trends has reached out to the ESA for comment and will update this story when we hear back.

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