Wccf Tech reports that E3 would be an online virtual event this year, once again.

E3 2022 Becomes Online Event Amidst Omicron Concerns

As the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus becomes more widespread among the population of several countries, the ESA has made the decision to turn its event into a fully online endeavor. As such, the Electronic Entertainment Expo has not only been confirmed to be happening but it also has been confirmed that it will be an online-only event.

Predictably, this is what the ESA talks about in their statement to GamesBeat.

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 are nonetheless excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.

But, why announce this so early? GamesBeat speculates that while E3 2022 is currently months away from happening (and the spike in Omicron cases can be over by the time the event hits), the organization is in the midst of signing up companies to take exhibition space, as it often takes months for companies to pull their booths together for the big show, which in normal times draws more than 50,000 industry people and 15,000 fans in-person to the Los Angeles Convention Center every June.

[...]

Here is another '10 Best Games' list. This time it is about the games you might have missed at E3, although we gave the RPGs on the list some attention. The list consists of:

• Unravel
• Divinity Original Sin: Enhanced Edition
• Until Dawn
• The Banner Saga 2
• Chasm
• Relativity
• Transformers: Devastation
• For Honor
• Sword Coast Legends

 

John Keefer (theEscapist) about the Master of Orion remake:

Master of Orion was a 4X strategy game before the term even existed. Created by Microprose in 1993, it gained great reviews and a large following, prompting two sequels and framework for the future of the strategy genre.

So when Wargaming.net acquired the rights to the game in an auction of Atari assets in 2013, fans of the series were a bit confused, given the nature of the World of Tanks developer's current stable of games.

"There was fierce competition," said Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi, "It was expensive, but we got it. And we wouldn't have made the bid if we didn't have clear goals for it. We wanted a nostalgic feel to it. We wanted to bring back the legend."

NGD Studios in Argentina will be developing the game, but Kislyi said that many members from the original team, including the art director and music composer, are back to bring the game's vision to the present. "We are asking them that knowing what they know now, would they have done things any differently."

(...)

Trailer:

PCWorld's top 10 games of the E3:

1. Fallout 4
2. Master of Orion
3. Ghost Recon Wildlands
4. Sword Coast Legends
5. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
6. King's Quest
7. Pillars of Eternity: The White March expansion
8. Need for Speed
9. Shadow Warrior 2
10. Soma

HONORABLE MENTION:

1. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5
2. Rock Band 4
3. Mass Effect Andromeda

 

A new South Park RPG has been announced at the E3: Fractured but Whole:

From the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes South Park: The Fractured but Whole, a sequel to 2014’s award-winning South Park: The Stick of Truth. Players will once again assume the role of the New Kid, and join South Park favorites Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman in a new hilarious and outrageous RPG adventure.

This time around it is not developed by Obsidian. Thanks Couch for the info!

Divinity OS: Enhanced Edition is coming in September/October 2015

Voice acting, grenades, reworked skill system, every battle more challenging, etc.

 

Dark Souls 3 is announced for early 2016

Playing in a dark gothic world

 

Dishonored 2 arrives in Spring 2016

You can choose between two characters: Corvo Attano and Emily Kaldwin

 

 

 

IGN has assembled a comphrehensive game list for this year's E3:

The Games at E3 2015 list contains all of the suspected and confirmed games appearing at E3 2015 in some form (not necessarily in "playable" form).

Some PC Highlights:

Batman: Arkham Knight
Dark Souls III
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
The Division
Doom 4
Fallout 4
Homefront: The Revolution
Mirror's Edge 2
No Man's Sky
Pillars of Eternity Expansion
Sword Coast Legends
XCOM 2

The nominees for the Games Critics Awards for this year's E3 have been announced.  Mass Effect 2 gets a shot at just about everything, while Dragon Age and Alpha Protocol pop up as nominees for the Best PC Games and Best RPG.

FiringSquad has a massive E3 revamp article that covers the full gamut of commentary, along with interviews from Jeremy Soule, Tom Ohle, Pete Hines and Feargus Urquhart and many more. Here's a bit from Feargus:

First, can you comment on the argument that rising costs in exhibiting and planning for E3 has cause this retrenchment of the show?

Publishers have been spending a ton of money for the 15 years of shows that I've been going to, so while it probably costs more than it did, including adjusting for inflation, I don't think it is drastically different. Before Obsidian, I worked for Interplay for close to 12 years, so I was exposed to the publisher side of trade shows for a long time. Interplay's big booth debuted at CES in January of 1994. A few years later, in it's largest configuration, it was on a 8000 sq. ft. area of the show floor, was two stories, had 8 meeting rooms, a large lunch area and was able to demonstrate games on close to 50 computers or consoles. It took a week to setup and needed a staff of 40 to 60 people per shift during the show just to keep it running efficiently. At the time, Interplay wasn't even a top 5 publisher and was investing that sort of money and resources into trade shows almost ten years ago. So, I think the argument that E3 has gotten more expensive recently is not completely accurate.

The official announcement being carried by Blue's News:<blockquote><em>Washington, DC (July 31, 2006) a  To better address the needs of todaya "!s global computer and video game industry, the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo) is evolving into a more intimate event focused on targeted, personalized meetings and activities, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced today.<br><br>a S
The world of interactive entertainment has changed since E3Expo was created 12 years ago. At that time we were focused on establishing the industry and securing orders for the holiday season,a ? said Douglas Lowenstein, President of the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers and the owner of E3Expo. a S
Over the years, it has become clear that we need a more intimate program, including higher quality, more personal dialogue with the worldwide media, developers, retailers and other key industry audiences.a ?<br><br>The new E3Expo will take shape over the next several months. As currently envisioned, it will still take place in Los Angeles, described by ESA as a a S
great and supportive partner helping to build E3.a ? It will focus on press events and small meetings with media, retail, development, and other key sectors. While there will be opportunities for game demonstrations, E3Expo 2007 will not feature the large trade show environment of previous years.<br><br>a S
E3Expo remains an important event for the industry and we want to keep that sense of excitement and interest, ensuring that the human and financial resources crucial to its success can be deployed productively to create an exciting new format to meet the needs of the industry. The new event ensures that there will be an effective and more efficient way for companies to get information to media, consumers, and others,a ? said Lowenstein.<br><br>Additionally, the evolution of the video game industry into a vibrant and expanding global market has led to the creation of major events in different regions, such as the Games Convention in Leipzig, the Tokyo Game Show, and company-specific events held by Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and others around the world. As a result, Lowenstein said, a S
It is no longer necessary or efficient to have a single industry a Umega-showa "!. By refocusing on a highly-targeted event, we think we can do a better job serving our members and the industry as a whole, and our members are energized about creating this new E3.a ?<br><br>Additional details about the new E3Expo event will be forthcoming in the next few months.</em></blockquote>

According to Next-Gen, it appears that significant changes are on the way for E3 in its current incarnation.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) shindig has been a staple of game industry life since the mid-1990s. However, we understand the larger exhibitors have jointly decided that the costs of the event do not justify the returns, generally measured in media exposure.