In a swift swirl of events, the ESA announced on Thursday that the E3 2022 event is officially canceled both in-person and online. The organization mentioned earlier this year they had ruled out plans for resuming the event in person. At the time, the possibility of a digital event was still up in the air. But now it appears there won’t be a digital event, either. The ESA’s statement came after Razer PR Lead Will Powers broke the news earlier that afternoon in a tweet.
IGN reached out to Powers and independently verified the email’s contents that the sudden news is indeed true. The ESA confirmed with IGN shortly afterward that they are canceling E3 2022. According to IGN’s sources, talks concerning the plans for this year’s E3 lacked strong momentum. The third-party companies that deal with the ESA found their silence concerning the matter to be frustrating.
Unfortunate it may be, it appears that the ESA is making a comeback plan for 2023. The ESA stated that E3 will return next year as a fully revitalized in person event, and that this year’s show will not be held in order for the organization to focus its resources.
“We will devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer,” the ESA stated. “Whether enjoyed from the show floor or your favorite devices, the 2023 showcase will bring the community, media, and industry back together in an all-new format and interactive experience. We look forward to presenting E3 to fans around the world live from Los Angeles in 2023.”
Will that mean there is no presentation planned for Breath of the Wild 2 this year? Not necessarily. While Nintendo had announced last week that the sequel to Breath of the Wild would be delayed to Spring 2023 for launch, the Big N also surprised us with never-before-seen footage from the game. Nintendo has showcased plenty of Direct presentations on their own before. Could more of Breath of the Wild 2 be revealed online this summer? It’s very likely.
In the meantime, check out what Amanda has to say about this brand new footage in the latest Zelda Universe video! (Note: E3 2022’s official cancellation was not announced yet at the time this video was released.)
