Video game trade show E3 nixed for 2022

• "E3 will return in 2023 with a reinvigorated showcase that celebrates new and exciting video games and industry innovations," an ESA rep told Axios, saying it will be a physical and digital event.
• The ESA canceled the show in 2020, held a digital-only streamed version in 2021 and had planned a digital one for 2022, citing health concerns. That was then canceled, the ESA says, to focus on next year's show.
• For decades, E3 had been the blowout event for games marketing, a mid-June mix of big publisher showcases and a physical trade show at the Los Angeles Convention Center attended by tens of thousands of industry professionals, media and some fans.

Yes but: This does not mean the games industry will miss its dose of mid-summer hype this year.

• Gaming hype-man Geoff Keighley, who briefly partnered with E3 to enhance its showcase event until a split in 2020, has been promoting a series of events called the Summer Game Fest.
• Moments after the E3 news broke today, the Fest was tweeting again to promote “an industry-wide celebration of video games, featuring a spectacular live kickoff show hosted by Geoff Keighley.”

Sign up for the new Axios Gaming newsletter here.