It smells bad for E3 2022. While the event had given up organizing a physical edition for the third consecutive year, insider Jeff Grubb assures today that the digital version will not take place either. In question, the too many events to come in the year, in particular the Summer Game Fest of Geoff Keighley.
At its beginnings, E3 was a must for video game enthusiasts as well as for manufacturers and studios. All the major announcements were made there: new consoles, upcoming games, technical innovations… It seems today that the event is no more than a shadow of itself. The COVID-19 pandemic is of course the first responsible, forcing the organizers to turn to digital for two consecutive years.
But another factor came to drive the point home. For some time, in fact, events dedicated to video games are multiplying. Game Awards, Game Developer Conference, Summer Game Fest, without counting on the manufacturers who for many are now content to make their own announcements via Nintendo Direct and other PlayStation Showcase… The glory of yesteryear of E3 seems well behind him.
Is this the end of E3?
The year 2022 promises to be just as gloomy. The ESA, the organization in charge of E3, has already announced that the next edition will once again be 100% virtual. But, according to insider Jeff Grubb, the situation would be even more problematic. The latter explains that the event will be ” probably ” canceled, whether digital or face-to-face. The decision would have already been taken by the ESA, which is therefore waiting before announcing the news publicly.
Related: E3 2022 — The Great Video Game Show Will Take Place Online Only
Jeff Grubb explains in particular that the 2022 edition would be a “grand bazaar” and that its organization would be a nightmare. This revelation is reminiscent of the setbacks encountered by the CES this year when many participants had withdrawn at the last minute. The growing importance of the Summer Game Fest, organized by Geoff Keighley, already presenter of the Game Awards, would, among other things, have prompted the ESA to give up. We are only waiting for an official announcement to confirm this.
