It has been no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the gaming industry in the past two years, as it has impacted nearly every other industry out there. Supply chain issues have made video game consoles hard to come by, and developers working remotely have led to major delays for many big titles. Since the pandemic began, perhaps the biggest impact on live gaming events has been E3’s from a widely attended in-person event to an all-online presentation. Now, it has been confirmed that E3 2022 will continue the trend again with an in-person gathering this year as well.

VentureBeat has shared a statement about this year’s event from the Entertainment Software Association, which runs the yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo, a.k.a. E3. As large in-person events like conventions and trade shows had seen a slight return in recent months, many had wondered whether E3 2022 might also return to its in-person roots. According to this statement from the ESA, it looks like that won’t be the case in the wake of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. As per the ESA:

“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.”

While the ESA did not specifically say that E3 2022 will be an online event, they did say they are “excited about the possibilities of an online event.” While E3 2021 had plenty of games to showcase, many had noted that last year’s digital offerings were somewhat slimmer, due to delays in game development across the industry caused by the pandemic. While this news may be sad for some, ultimately, the safety of all people is the most important. It would be a shame for COVID to leak at an in-person at E3 like the ESA leaked the data of E3 attendees a few years back. Oopsie.

What do you guys think about E3 2022 being an all-digital event this year? Let us know in the comments below. Be sure to stay tuned for the latest gaming news, such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Dawn of Ragnarok DLC being the biggest expansion for the franchise yet, here on Don’t Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!