Omicron Puts Physical E3 Appearances on Hold
E3, also known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is (was?) the biggest gaming even each year. It’s the pride and joy for game companies the world over. Big and small studios alike have a chance to show off their upcoming titles to a new audience. It’s always been an in-person event, but as with many things nowadays, Covid has called that into question. It was announced that the show will be shifting focus this year.
Specifically, this is due to the new Covid variant and its highly-infectious nature. The ESA, the group responsible for E3, had this to say: “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,” they went on to mention: “We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”
Given the way E3 has worked in the past, this isn’t too huge of a shift for the event. Livestreams have been the main way that companies have distributed info to fans for years now, after all. Nintendo even started their own “Nintendo Direct” show series, and after a while of that, moved away from E3 as a major outlet.
And considering how impactful the Game Awards has been as of late, one wouldn’t be out of line to call it a replacement for the “old” E3 formula. But we all know how marketing budgets can be. If E3 still holds as much prestige as ever, it’s hard to imagine its prominence declining.