Everything you need to know about E3 2022

Even though E3 2022 is still expected to take place this June, the future of the yearly conference remains uncertain. Is the ESA’s landmark gaming trade show gone for good? Will the in-person festivities be replaced by another all-digital event? Which conferences can we expect to see? There’s a lot we still don’t know, but here’s our best guesses for what we might see from E3 this summer.

What are the E3 2022 dates?

Currently, there are no official dates for the start of E3 2022, only a vague statement from the ESA offered to IGN in early January.

“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. We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”

This statement does not offer any indication for when a presumed digital version of E3 might be, but dates between June 14 and June 16 would be most representative of years passed.

Will E3 2022 be in-person?

Despite being a bit bullish about the possibility of an in-person E3 last June, the above statement confirms E3 will once again be an all-digital show if it happens at all. There will be no in-person exhibits or public tickets sold.

Will E3 2022 be a digital event?

Because the above-listed statement from the ESA doesn’t offer any additional details about a digital event, only confirming that the show’s in-person presence has been cancelled, we’re not sure what to think.

A lot of outlets are jumping on the bandwagon that “E3 is dead” without these additional details, but we wouldn’t go that far. Given that the official statement mentions the “future of E3” and “more details to come,” our guess is that some sort of all-digital presence is hastily being drawn up in conjunction with the industry’s biggest publishers.

We’d hazard to guess that E3 2022 will happen in some capacity, but, given how the ESA has been forced to pivot its plan, the specifics of the showcase might come together at the very last minute. This reality may be annoying for members of the press who plan on covering the show, but, if there are no travel plans to be made or tickets to buy, it doesn’t really matter to the casual fan when the details of E3 2022 are made available.

How to watch E3 2022

Provided there is an all-digital E3 2022 to show, the primary venues to follow it will be on E3’s official YouTube channel, Twitch channel, and Twitter account. Specific publishers will likely host their own streams as well, but we’ll wait for a confirmed list of exhibitors to post those links.

What’s the E3 2022 schedule and publishers?

Given that it’s still unclear whether E3 2022 will happen in digital form, it’s hard to know which publishers will take part in the ESA’s show. That being said, here’s the list of publishers who partnered up for the all-digital E3 in 2021. Because these agreements were made last year, it wouldn’t shock us if most or all of these publishers will have a digital conference made in time for E3 2022.

• Ubisoft
• Gearbox
• 24 Entertainment
• Microsoft
• Square Enix
• PC Gamer
• Future Games
• Verizon
• Intellivision
• Take-Two Interactive
• Mythical Games
• Freedom Games
• VENN
• Capcom
• Razor
• Nintendo
• Bandai Namco
• Yooreka Studio

We imagine some of these less noteworthy names might be removed from the show entirely or replaced by other smaller studios, but this list at least offers up a solid expectation for the publishers who’ve worked closest with the E3 committee during these uncertain times.

E3 2022 predictions

If it happens, we suppose there’s quite a lot that could be revealed by representatives from the above list of publishers and exhibitors. With several months left until E3 2022 is expected to take place, here are a few predictions for what we expect to see.

• Breath of the Wild 2 gets a name: If Nintendo aims to offer up a proper name and release date for Breath of the Wild 2, an E3 Direct Presentation would absolutely be the best occasion to do it.
• Armored Core: By the time June 2022 arrives, players will have long experienced and completed playthroughs of From Software’s Elden Ring. Provided Bandai Namco is asked to publish the studio’s next project, maybe this is the first time we’ll get a look at the recently leaked Armored Core game. It’s reportedly finished enough to feature gameplay, so let’s see some of it. If not, maybe it will appear during the PlayStation State of Play later in the year.
• Final Fantasy XVI: Square Enix has made and broken multiple promises about the next time fans will catch a glimpse of Final Fantasy XVI, and E3 is the best venue to finally deliver. Depending on whatever else Square Enix may have left to show, Final Fantasy could serve as a nice anchor to the presentation. Stranger of Paradise will already be out, so a showcase of what’s next for the franchise makes sense.
• Starfield: We already know the release date for Starfield, but the Microsoft faithful have been hungry for gameplay and deserve to see it. We imagine this reveal will be somewhat similar to Bethesda’s Fallout 4 blowout that took place during E3 2015.
• Redfall: Similarly, assuming this game isn’t released by E3 2022, we imagine Redfall will play a big role in Microsoft’s hypothetical E3 showcase. Following last year’s tone piece, we need to know what this game is and how it plays.
• Resident Evil 4 Remake: Resident Evil Village made the franchise more popular than ever, so it'd behoove Capcom to continue that momentum by offering a first look at a remake of the series’ most beloved title.
• Splatoon 3: Nintendo has already confirmed that this game will be released in 2022, so E3 is likely the venue where we’ll get a proper release date reveal.