E3 2022 To Remain A Digital Event Following Omicron Concerns

As reported by Venturebeat, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) that is held in Los Angeles every year will continue to be a “digital only” event for the second year running. This is due to growing concerns of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continuing to spread rapidly across the world. In a statement sent to Gamesbeat, the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) had the following to say about E3 2022:

“Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022. We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”

While the Omicron spread may cease long before the E3 2022 takes place, it is understandable why the ESA would prefer to play it safe. It can take months to plan for such a large event and organize which companies will be taking part.

Nintendo was one of the companies that signed up for the E3 2021 digital event but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will join up again this year. They could just as easily not participate and host their own Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Treehouse presentations at a time that is convenient for them.

In a way, it is a shame that E3 has been reduced to a digital only event as it was the physical events that people really loved to attend. They loved the chance to see the demonstrations and presentations first hand, as well as getting the opportunity to play demos of the newly announced games on the show floor.

With more and more digital events already happening and Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, and many other publishers hosting their own showcases and presentations throughout the year, there is no real necessity for E3 to be a digital event at all. This doesn’t mean the event should just end completely. On the contrary, I want E3 to continue as a physical event, so it can once again be enjoyed by the many people that attend the event.