Following numerous calls for the conference to cancel its 2020 edition, E3 2020 has been canceled over fears of the Coronavirus.
E3 2019 had an attendance of 66,100, so it was quite possible the show would draw a similar crowd this year.
“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,” the Entertainment Software Assn. said in a statement.
“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.”
The ESA said it would be reaching out to exhibitors and attendees in the coming days about issuing full refunds for their fees. This is an important hurdle for the show as both Ultra Music Festival and SXSW have stated they will not be issuing refunds following the cancelations of those events.
With E3 2020 now canceled, the ESA has stated that it is looking into doing an online presentation of the announcements that were slated to be made. With Nintendo having its Direct series, it’s obviously a format that works, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with this many companies needing to do it.
