The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, will not take place this June, according to the show's organizer, who confirmed the news on Thursday.
The Entertainment Software Association stated in a statement that it will focus on next year's exhibition.
"E3 will return in 2023 with a reinvigorated showcase that celebrates new and exciting video games and industry innovations," the association said. "Whether enjoyed from the show floor or your favorite devices, the 2023 showcase will bring the community, media, and industry back together in an all-new format and interactive experience."
This year's video game trade expo and marketing event was supposed to take place in person. However, due to the pandemic, E3 was again switched from an in-person event to an online-only display in January. The digital event appears to have been fully canceled at this time.
For the past few years, there has been growing concern regarding E3's future. The COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting in-person gatherings, making the notion of a huge, well-attended event unappealing. After attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, a number of video game industry individuals reported testing positive for COVID-19.
Aside from pandemic fears, video game publishers have increasingly shunned E3 in favor of staging their own online events, such as Nintendo's Direct presentations, EA Play Live, and Sony's State of Play.
While not having an E3 at all bodes ill for the show's long-term viability, the ESA stated in a tweet from Axios' Stephen Totilo, "E3 will return in 2023 with a reinvigorated showcase that celebrates new and exciting video games and industry innovations."
E3 2023 is expected to be both an online and in-person event.
There will still be an industry video game showcase in June. The Summer Game Fest is still scheduled to take place and will feature some of the most anticipated games of the year.
Summer Game Fest 2022's Kickoff show, hosted by Geoff Keighley, will feature world premieres, as well as appearances from iam8bit and Double Fine in the Days of the Devs segments. "A slate of digital livestream shows" will make up the rest of the festival.
Dates for Summer Game Fest are not confirmed yet, but it will take place in June, like it did last year. The Game Fest in 2021 saw numerous important announcements, like the release date for Elden Ring, the timetable for Call of Duty Season 4, and more.
It is currently unknown which developers and publishers will be present at Game Fest 2022.
