Amidst the cancellation of several industry events, E3 finally follows suit. As of today, March 11, 2020 ESA announced the cancellation of E3 2020.
E3 2020 Officially Canceled
“After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry–our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners–we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles,” said the ESA in a recent statement.
They followed with “”Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.”
Of course, many including exhibitors have already committed funds to the event. The ESA is planning on addressing concerns regarding refunds at a later time by reaching to them directly. While we can no longer attend in person, the ESA does hope to create something of an online experience to showcase industry announcements and news originally planned for the early June event.
More Than Just a Virus
While there’s no doubt the COVID-19 shot the final bullet, E3 2020 might have been headed down this road regardless. Support seemed to be waning from the event with big brands like PlayStation no longer attending, and hosts dropping out completely. In growing digital age, it is notably becoming difficult to justify a physical presence at such events. Nonetheless, ESA confirms future plans for E3 2021 will go forward as scheduled.
So What Now?
You can expect most of the conferences to be streamed in some fashion and take a more intimate form.
I’m told #Nintendo will still have their annual E3 Direct during E3 week as long as the virus doesn’t impact the company staff #E3Cancelled #E32020
— Mike Straw (@MikeStrawMedia) March 11, 2020
E3 has always been an important moment for Team Xbox. Given this decision, this year we’ll celebrate the next generation of gaming with the @Xbox community and all who love to play via an Xbox digital event. Details on timing and more in the coming weeks https://t.co/xckMKBPf9h
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 11, 2020
Others like Sony have yet to come to a definite conclusion but you can expect the same especially with PlayStation 5 announcements expected to go live around that time.
This is the first time since 1995 that E3 will not be held, leaving a mark on what would have been its 25th anniversary.
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