“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.”
After tons of speculation and a tweet from Devolver Digital, it appears that E3 2020 is officially canceled. The Entertainment Software Association issued a statement earlier this morning regarding the cancellation and basically it comes down to coronavirus concerns.
The ESA has stated that they will be coming back in 2021 with a new E3 experience “that brings fans, media, and the industry together in a showcase that celebrates the global video game industry.” As for exhibitors and attendees that have already paid for this year’s show, the ESA is beginning the refund process. Despite the cancellation, companies have already announced that they would still be holding digital events with Limited Run Games being during the E3 time frame.
I honestly wonder how much of the cancellation was down to actual coronavirus concerns and how much of it was down to the event just not being ready to deliver an updated experience to reinvent itself. Maybe this year off will be a good thing for the show to have that much more time to plan and get companies back on board. Or you know, maybe it will be dead forever… I hope for the first one personally. Despite fans clamoring that E3 is obsolete for years now, the show was important for the industry. If it is gone forever it will definitely hurt the industry as a whole for a number of years to come.
