EA cancels its E3-adjacent live event this year

By Otto Kratky March 15, 2022

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.

“We love EA Play Live as it’s our way of connecting with our players and sharing what’s new with all of you. However, this year things aren’t lining up to show you everything on one date. We have exciting things happening at our world-class studios and this year we’ll reveal much more about these projects when the time is right for each of them. We look forward to spending time with you throughout the year.”

EA has been a staple of E3 for years now, though the company’s presentation separated from the expo in 2016, receiving an EA Play Live branding. E3, notably, won’t be in-person this year, even as other games industry events, including GDC and Pax East 2022 press forward. The Entertainment Software Association canceled E3’s in-person event this past January, citing the COVID-19 Omicron variant. EA skipped out on presenting at E3 2021 and instead hosted its own separate EA Play Live event.

However, EA’s statement makes it clear that COVID isn’t why the company isn’t having a show; its games simply aren’t ready for the public just yet. EA’s developers currently have a number of games in development, with Motive Studio’s Dead Space remake releasing sometime next year and Respawn working on multiple Star Wars titles, including a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

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Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…

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