Although new rumours have surfaced stating that E3 will once again be an online-only event in 2022, the event has yet to be formally confirmed. Despite the absence of official confirmation, it looks that work is already on behind the scenes, as GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb reports that Microsoft is in contact with publishers to organize an "E3-style" event in June.

GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb appeared on the GamesBeat Decides podcast to cover the week's biggest news, according to VGC. Grubb mentions recent rumors of a Microsoft digital event at one point in the program, reporting that he's heard that Microsoft is actively in contact with publishers to get them participating in an event that is currently scheduled for June. Jeff states "They're in talks with potential partners to bring in large games. That is still going on, and it is March, so they aren't going to be able to modify the train or turn the large ship around. They're moving in that direction, and they'll accomplish something within that period." The Livestream will begin at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. BST on March 16, 2022, and will include news and announcements about forthcoming indie games for Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass, among other things.

It's worth something that Grubb refers to the event as an "E3-style" event in his reportage. This could just be due to the fact that E3 has yet to be confirmed for this year, but it could also hint that Microsoft is following in the footsteps of companies like EA and staging its own showcase in the same time frame. Given that Microsoft attended last year's conference, it's likely that it'll attend this year's as well. The first E3 after Microsoft's takeover of Bethesda was held last year. During that conference, Redfall was announced, Starfield was shown for the first time, and the release date for Halo Infinite was confirmed.