Bethesda has confirmed that QuakeCon 2022 will once again be an all-digital event when it returns in August.
The announcement was posted on Bethesda's QuakeCon page, with the company writing that while it was "disappointed not to return to Dallas this year," an event as large as QuakeCon "requires months of planning, and in those cases, we had to making decisions when there was still too much uncertainty to commit to successfully running an in-person QuakeCon.
This year's QuakeCon will once again be a digital-only event, August 18-20, 2022. pic.twitter.com/UxJTuZDTYJAApril 13, 2022
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Plans for the show are still being finalized, but the team putting together the digital event is currently working, according to Bethesda, "to roll out exciting new streaming programming, online dating, giveaways, charity opportunities, virtual BYOC, and more." ".
QuakeCon 2022 runs from August 18-20, and Bethesda has promised that more information about what it has planned for the show will be revealed in June.
This will mark QuakeCon's third year as an all-digital event after the 2020 and 2021 events went live in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, Bethesda expresses confidence in their announcement that things will change in 2023 and is planning for an in-person show to return.
“We're committed to returning with our full in-person festival in 2023,” the post reads, “and already can't wait to reconnect with friends, a big BYOC filled with your latest custom PC builds, our crazy contests, and tons of fun! of great new games and equipment for attendees to try out.
Analysis: err on the side of caution
For a few years, we've seen the coronavirus pandemic push once-boisterous gaming events online or cancel them altogether. This year, however, we've seen a couple, a recent example of GDC, begin to re-adopt in-person elements.
It's a mixed bag, though, and this announcement from Bethesda shows that not all shows will take the same approach, which is quite understandable given the pandemic is still raging. We already know, for example, that Gamescom 2022 will try to mix digital and face-to-face elements, while Summer Game Fest will continue as a fully digital event as it always has been.
Meanwhile, E3 2022 was canceled entirely, and the ESA recently announced that it was finalizing plans for a digital show this year. Like Bethesda, the ESA envisions 2023 as the year to get things back on track, stating their intention to "devote all of our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer."
As for what we can expect to see from QuakeCon 2022, details aren't available at this time, but the event has already had a good mix of deep dives, tournaments, and developer panels, as well as some interesting announcements.