Amidst the outbreak of the Coronavirus, E3 2020 is officially canceled. ESA, the organizers of E3, confirmed the news today. Big publishers like Xbox and Ubisoft are planning to stream their latest news, gameplay videos, and new releases online on services like Youtube and Twitch.
E3 2020 tickets will be fully refunded
ESA went on and confirmed that anyone who already purchased a ticket will be eligible for a full refund. Here is their full statement as released on the Official E3 website:
“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. 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. Our team will be reaching out directly to exhibitors and attendees with information about providing full refunds.”
“We are also exploring options with our members to coordinate an online experience to showcase industry announcements and news in June 2020. Updates will be shared on E3Expo.com.We thank everyone who shared their views on reimagining E3 this year. We look forward to bringing you E3 2021 as a reimagined event that brings fans, media, and the industry together in a showcase that celebrates the global video game industry.”
Sony does not care
Sony has already dropped out of E3 so they are not impacted by the news at all. Also, they did not have anything to announce anyway. Reporters say that sony is trying to come up with a strong announcement for the PS5. Since Xbox has already won with their Series X announcement earlier this year.
What is expected for video games in 2020
2020 is going to be a great year for video games. With more than 10 new AAA games releasing this year. One of them is the brand new IP Cyberpunk 2077. Although every big gaming convention has been canceled or delayed so far, the games release dates are not yet affected. Developers are still working hard to bring their games out in 2020 as promised.
As for gamers, let’s hope the Coronavirus issue is resolved and our beloved E3 comes back. We are excited about all the new games and so far all we can do is wait out these hard times. Protect yourselves and stay safe, you cannot respawn in real life.
