EA Cancels EA Play Live Summer Event

Electronic Arts cancelled this year's EA Play Live event, nixing the summer live stream event for the first time since its introduction in 2016.

EA Play Live, typically scheduled to occur alongside E3 each year, served as a massive showcase for EA's top-billed upcoming releases. This year, the publisher tells IGN it may replace the single blow-out broadcast with a few smaller events focused on individual titles.

"We love EA Play Live as it's our way of connecting with our players and sharing what's new with all of you. However, this year things aren't lining up to show you everything on one date," reads EA's statement. "We have exciting things happening at our world-class studios and this year we'll reveal much more about these projects when the time is right for each of them. We look forward to spending time with you throughout the year!"

EA began to shift away from the E3-focused schedule last year, when its EA Play Live event took place several weeks after the expo. This news puts another nail in the coffin for E3, long regarded as the gaming industry's single biggest event for news and announcements but increasingly losing relevance as publishers release news on their own timelines.