By this point, nothing should surprise you.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced that they have cancelled any sort of in-person event for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) for 2022. The reason for this change is due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps you've heard of it?

The group says that "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."

What they did not say was whether or not the group would even hold an online-only event as they did in 2021. When asked about clarifying if there would be an online event this year, the ESA said simply, "We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon."

According to IGN, the ESA quietly cancelled the in-person event months ago. E3 2022 never had any sort of official date set. The last we even heard about E3 2022 was when LA mayor Eric Garcetii mentioned in 2021 that planning was underway for 2022's event. However, there has been nothing from any official channel since then.

Sources told IGN that the ESA gave up on the idea of holding a physical show as early as Fall 2021. Other industry sources say that they would have heard about formal plans for any sort of show by now, be it digital or physical. E3 is usually held around the early June timeframe. If anything official is announced, we'll obviously share the news here.