Update 4:22 pm EDT: The ESA confirmed to Ars "that there will also be no digital E3 showcase in 2022," but the organization promises that "a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience" will return in summer 2023 to "celebrate new and exciting video games and industry innovations."

An ESA spokesperson told Ars:

Our members look to the ESA to deliver an experience that revitalizes the event in a new and exciting way," "That's why we are using this time to shape plans for 2023 and are working with our members to ensure that the revitalized showcase sets a new standard for hybrid industry events and fan engagement... We look forward to the individual showcases planned for 2022 and will join the community in celebrating and promoting the new titles being presented. ESA made the decision to focus its resources and use this time to shape our plans and deliver an all-new experience that delights fans, who have the highest expectations for the premier event in video games.

Original story 3:35 pm EDT: E3's years-long spin down the drain has become more drastic due to a major cancellation to all "E3"-related events this summer.

The news comes as an allegation from Razer PR lead Will Powers, who made no bones about what he was told: "Just got an email... It's official, E3 digital is official [sic] cancelled for 2022." When pressed in his replies about whether the event might shift from a digital event to something in person, Powers tweeted, "Official ESA E3 is officially cancelled cancelled."

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Ars Technica has since been able to review the email provided to E3 partners and can confirm its contents. This email does not go so far as to announce the end of E3 altogether and leaves the possibility that the event could return in the future.

Summer wink fest

Representatives for the Electronic Software Association (ESA), E3's long-time runners, did not immediately reply to Ars Technica's questions about E3 2022's cancellation or about its plans for future E3-themed events either this year or next. The ESA pledged in January that an "all-digital" E3 would happen this summer, and an ESA representative told Ars Technica at the time, "Yes, the show is going to be virtual this year."

Meanwhile, Geoff Keighley, who has produced and led an unofficial, E3-adjacent series of events and press-only reveals for years, chimed in once the news began making the social-media rounds with a one-emoji tweet: a winking face. Minutes later, the official Summer Games Fest Twitter confirmed the Keighley-run, all-digital event will return in June with a slate of E3-like game announcements and trailers. The exact dates, partners, hosts, and guests have not yet been announced.

Many gaming companies, including formal members of the ESA, have gotten along just fine for years without formal E3 presentations. Sony, EA, Activision Blizzard, and other game publishers began skipping E3's in-person event in 2019 by either hosting events outside E3's halls or hosting digital presentations—well before the latter became the norm. E3 2020 was already struggling with cooperation from major gaming companies before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the shuttering of its in-person incarnation.