COVID Central: E3 is Definitely Canceled

Yesterday, we reported that many people close to the ESA were predicting that E3, the largest trade show in the video game industry, would be shutting down in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, which was also recently classified as a full-blown pandemic by the World Health Organization.

…and yeah. That happened.

“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.”

As predicted, they have opted to replace the live show with an “online experience,” where they will coordinate with their usual attendants to showcase games and trailers, which is E3’s highlight, either way. Presumably, the second half of the event, where the press and public alike get the chance to play games for themselves, will be canceled altogether, although a few studios might opt to release their E3 demos to the public.

It’s not known exactly what this “online experience” will be like, but I’m sure we’ll hear more about it in the coming days and weeks.

For what it’s worth, the companies who were planning to attend have taken the closures with the expected grace. Microsoft said that they would use a digital event to “celebrate the next generation of gaming”, presumably referencing the fact this E3 was when they were going to go deep into the next Xbox system. Nintendo applauded the ESA’s decision and urged people to show patience, as significant industry events “may be untenable for the foreseeable future. Ubisoft said something similar, stating that they would explore alternate methods to share their news, and Devolver Digital said they were “bummed.”

Interestingly, EA – who was planning to host another live event, EA PLAY 2020 – didn’t say they were outright canceling their event too. There’s no way in hell they won’t, but their hesitation to just say that is undoubtedly eye-catching…