Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 will be holding their 2022 expo online only, with the in-person event being canceled once again due to the rise of the Covid-19 Omicron.

This will be the second time in a row the E3 will be completely online only due to the covid-19 pandemic, following the online-only presentations and game announcements of E3 2021. The Entertainment Software Association that organizes E3, said to GameBeat 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″

With this being said, some are saying that this decision may not have been caused by the pandemic. Game analyst Mike Futter said that he heard from insiders that this decision was made months ago before Omnicrom became widespread.

This is spin. I heard from sources in mid-November, before Omicron’s emergence at the end of that month that the ESA had abandoned their dates for the LACC. https://t.co/2oIbkNDFBx

— Mike Futter (@Futterish) January 6, 2022

It is likely that E3 2022 will once again consist of a series of online direct presentations in the vain of E3 2021.

This was probably for the best as there are many people in America who are still affected by the pandemic. A lot of people have also stated that with companies like Nintendo and Sony holding pre-recorded streams at any time of the year, the need for a central gaming convention like E3 has lessened.

That being said, conventions are still fun and hopefully, E3 will return to an in-person event by next year.