It’s June, which means the yearly, massive convention for the gaming industry known as E3 should be happening soon. For 2022, that isn’t the case though. For the second time within the last few years, ESA has canceled the event. E3 2020’s cancellation was understandable, thanks to COVID-19, and the ESA shifted its focus to an online experience for 2021. Sadly, the “reimagined” E3 for 2021 was a mess – thanks to a broken app, buggy website, and more tech issues. Plus, it didn’t help that companies and developers hosted their own digital events that weren’t exclusive to the E3 site and social media.
Based on 2021’s experience, many wondered what would happen in 2022. No show dates were announced for 2022 and there were different reports floating around – that 2022’s show would be online only again, followed by rumors that it was canceled until it was made official in March. Now when E3 2022 would be happening, ESA president Stan Pierre-Louis is already talking about show plans for 2023. In an interview with The Washington Post, Pierre-Louis made the following statements about E3’s future:
“We’re excited about coming back in 2023 with both a digital and an in-person event,” ESA president and CEO Stan Pierre-Louis told The Washington Post in an interview. “As much as we love these digital events, and as much as they reach people and we want that global reach, we also know that there’s a really strong desire for people to convene — to be able to connect in person and see each other and talk about what makes games great.”
“I think what’s great about all this experimentation is that companies of all sizes are trying to figure out what works best to promote the product and the content that they are looking to share with consumers,” he said. “And I think there is a space for a physical show; I think there’s an importance of having digital reach. Combining those two, I think there is a critical element of what we think E3 can provide.”
Pierre-Louis didn’t clarify what a digital event for E3 would look like in the interview or the videoed portion that The Washington Post released on their YouTube page. Hopefully, based on 2021’s event, they’ll learn from their mistakes and have a working digital portal for those who can’t make the trek to Los Angeles in the summer of 2023.
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Written by Jennifer Burch
Illustrator, designer, writer and big Nintendo geek, you can find Jennifer with an N3DS within reach 24/7. As the oldest of three, she has survived many Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart sessions intact in addition to getting her brothers hooked on some really weird games. (Cubivore anyone?)
