This comes shortly after the announcement of the cancelation of E3 2022’s in-person event, which was followed by rumours of cancelation of the digital show as well (although recently insider Tom Henderson suggested that a digital show might still happen).

In a statement shared with IGN, the ESA revealed that the show is preparing to make a big comeback next year, and part of the reason for this year’s cancelation is to allow the organization to focus its limited resources on making next year’s event a grand one.

“We will devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer. 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,” the statement reads.

Over on Twitter, reputable industry insider Jeff Grubb has also posted about how the choice for major publishers to go with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest (which will take place in June) is also part of the reason why ESA chose to disband this year’s show. On that note, it’s also rumoured that Xbox is also partnering with publishers to host their own E3-style show sometime in June- read more on that through here.

Just got an email… It's official, E3 digital is official cancelled for 2022. Lots of mixed feelings about this…

— Will Powers (@WillJPowers) March 31, 2022

The vibe check I was getting is that everyone is going with Keighley instead because he's actually competent.

— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) March 31, 2022

Excited to share that @SummerGameFest will return this June with a slate of events. We'll be producing another Kickoff Live show with announcements, news and first looks.

Much more to share in the coming weeks, along with some very cool new elements for '22. pic.twitter.com/jjXLG8Xueh

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) March 31, 2022

This is according to GamesBeat journalist Jeff Grubb who fielded questions in a recent show with VentureBeat’s Mike Minotti. Regarding Xbox’s showcases, Grubb responded that, “I’ll probably have more to say on this soon, but it’s in June, not May. Well, they might do something in May or September, I don’t know, but I know that they’re planning for an E3-style show in June.

“They’re talking to partners to get big games in there. That is ongoing right now and it’s March, so it’s not like they can change that train or turn that big ship around. They are heading in that direction and they’re going to do something in that time frame.” VGC’s Andy Robinson said that this matches what it’s own sources have shared.

An E3-style showcase could very well happen, especially if reports by insider Tom Henderson about a digital event for E3 2022 are true. Microsoft has been present at the show for years and even when E3 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it hosted a dedicated showcase in July 2020 for its games. Take things with a grain of salt, as usual, but expect something to be happening this Summer regardless.

Henderson expects an announcement to be made soon if emails are indeed being sent out. As such, this wouldn’t be the first time that the show has faced such a situation. Last year’s event was entirely digital with various publishers taking part including Xbox, Nintendo, Bethesda and so on.

With the current situation for E3, it’s interesting that Gamescom 2022 will be both an in-person event along with offering an “extensive digital program” on August 24th to 28th. Tokyo Game Show 2022 is also confirmed to be a physical event, taking place from September 15th to 18th. Stay tuned for more details on E3 2022 in the meantime.

E3 will be an entirely digital event again this year according to the ESRB who sent out emails to developers today.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) March 10, 2022

I guess this squashes the rumors that they were going to cancel it?

I'd be expecting an announcement soon if the ESRB is sending out emails.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) March 10, 2022

In a clip that he recently uploaded to TikTok (and then later to YouTube), GamesBeat journalist Jeff Grubb claimed that E3 2022’s digital event had “probably” been cancelled as well. Grubb did not elaborate on the same, but given the fact that the ESA hasn’t officially said anything about whether or not a replacement online event is even being planned, it wouldn’t come as a huge surprise.

Of course, the Geoff Keighley-hosted and produced event Summer Game Fest is going to this year, while there’s also the chance that various publishers will decide to do their own individual streams. Of course, 2022 has only just begin, so it’s probably going to be a while before we start getting concrete information on what summer is going to look like for gaming.