Electronic Arts' (EA) annual summer event is canceled for the first time. EA Play Live 2022 will not happen.
A representative of the video game publisher recently reached out to IGN, stating that EA can't host its annual EA Play Live event this year despite "exciting things" happening at its world-class studios.
EA Play Live 2022 Cancellation Details
According to the statement of EA's representative, things are not "lining up" for the event to happen, adding that EA would reveal more about the projects separately this year when the time is right for each of them instead.
"We love EA Play Live as it's our way of connecting with our players and sharing what's new with all of you," EA said. "However, this year[,] things aren't lining up to show you everything on one date."
Whether this means EA will give its developers time to work on and polish their games is unknown, but gamers will probably see for themselves when the mentioned projects are released.
Almost Six Years of Tradition
Nevertheless, the news is likely a blow to gamers' expectations of a summer filled with gaming news and announcements at a time when COVID-19 restrictions are easing up to the point of in-person event attendance being possible.
The Entertainment Software Association confirmed that it won't be holding the Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3, in-person, while an online-only replacement is still uncertain, per Games Radar's article.
EA previously stated its EA Play Live event in June 2016 was a three-day off-site event, per Polygon's report. According to The Independent, the company gave its fans a chance to play demos of the video games featured in the event.
Even with the COVID-19 pandemic happening, EA did not stop announcing news about its games, switching to an online-only event rather than having it in-person. This was the case in EA Play Live 2020 and EA Play Live 2021.
The event can also be watched online even before the pandemic hit, with the video game publisher livestreaming it on YouTube. People who couldn't watch the livestream can also watch the recording of the event a day after.
EA Projects Known To Be in the Works
EA's Canadian studio, EA Motive, previously revealed some new features and improvements on the upcoming Dead Space remake. Meanwhile, EA's Bioware is also working on the fourth installment to its popular Dragon Age series, which is anticipated to be released in 2023.
Additionally, EA's Respawn Entertainment is working on two Star Wars games, one being the next entry of its Star Wars Jedi series. It is also motioning for Bit Reactor to develop a Star Wars strategy game.
GameSpot also mentioned that EA is working on a first-person shooter game, with Peter Hirschmann of the classic game Medal of Honor as its game director.
