Electronic Entertainment Expo, the biggest consumer show in the video gaming business if officially canceled, but many digital presentations will still happen.
Following the cancelation of many events including the Games Developer Conference and major esports tournaments, the huge E3 2020 won’t go the way it was initially planned.
The organizers from the ESA published this message:
"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."
Last year’s edition of E3 was marked by the very notable absence of Sony. Microsoft saw this as an opportunity to get some publicity and assured fans that Xbox will be present on the show floor as always. Following the recent coronavirus cancelation announcement, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer tweeted this:
“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”
Looks like the Xbox Series X marketing isn’t slowing down despite the global epidemic. It is very likely that other game studios and hardware manufacturers will also stick to their announcement schedule and hold their own digitally streamed live shows.
