E3 will once again be an online-only event in 2022 amidst surging COVID-19 cases

E3 2022 will once again be an online-only event, as a precautionary measure amidst surging cases of COVID-19.

According to a recent report by VentureBeat, the Entertainment Software Association will not be taking any risks with this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, and has stated that,

“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.”

The ESA had originally planned to bring back the largest video game trade show of the year as an in-person conference in 2022. But with the onset of the new Omnicron variant and the surging number of cases in the United States itself, the ESA will not be looking to move forward with its initial plans and E3 will be held online in 2022.

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Will the Summer Games Fest follow suit after E3's announcement?

The Electronic Entertainment Expo is just one example of the several major events that have been affected by the latest surging cases of COVID-19.

This year’s GRAMMYs awards show was one such event that got pushed back from its original date of January 21, 2022, with even the Sundance Film Festival adopting the online-only format this time around.

Now with E3 also planning to go virtual for the second time in a row, many community members feel that even Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest should follow suit.

While Geoff did tweet about the announcement for the event, he is yet to disclose any information as to the format that Summer Games Fest will be going for in 2022. But it’s highly likely that after E3, it too will be adopting an online-only format.

The Entertainment Software Association is yet to provide an official date for when their event will start. However, based on previous years, it is expected to take place sometime in the second week of June.