For the third year in a row, E3 2022 will not happen as an in-person event. The Entertainment Software Association, which organizes the expo, has confirmed that the physical show has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the virus’ new Omicron variant. In fact, the ESA didn’t technically confirm that the show will happen in 2022 at all.

The news was broken by VentureBeat, which released a statement from the ESA regarding the yearly video game press conference. “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,” the ESA tells VentureBeat, “We are nonetheless excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”

The news comes amid the annual Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, that went forward with an in-person event despite the risk of further spread of the virus.

The silver lining of this announcement is that this time it comes much earlier than the E3 event itself. Many regarded last year’s last-second commitment to an online-only E3 as a decision that resulted in a mixed bag-experience. Nixing the physical show early leaves a lot of room for planning to deliver the best event possible, despite the lack of an in-person affair.

Amid all the E3 online news, Geoff Keighley announced the return of his very similar summer gaming event, Summer Game Fest. The choice of this announcement’s timing isn’t lost on anyone based on its responses.

https://twitter.com/Nibellion/status/1479194253368737797

E3 is expected to make its return as an online show for second year in a row this June, though official dates have yet to be announced.