E3 2020 Has Officially Been Cancelled

Today it was officially confirmed that the Electronic Entertainment Expo - more commonly known as E3 - will be cancelling its event plans for June 2020. The event was cancelled over health concerns of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, which has been affecting countries all over the world and has even put the entire country of Italy in lockdown.

The official E3 website posted the following statement:

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.

E3 is one of the largest annual gaming expos which features exclusive game reveals and showcases from companies such as Microsoft, Square Enix, and Nintendo. As a result of the cancellation, 2020 will be the first year without an E3 since the event’s inception in 1995. How E3’s cancellation will affect the release of news from those companies has yet to be determined, though the spread of the COVID-19 virus has been interfering with work and company plans all across the globe.


Author’s Note: How do you feel about E3 being cancelled this year? Let us know in the comments below!

 

For the past few years, I never really watched E3 and just read the highlights afterwards except for Nintendo’s presentation, but still this is regrettable .

E3 is great for collaborations and networking within the industry, but safety comes first.

 

Dang, I'm only 14, and just learned about E3 last year right after it had ended. I really wanted to go this year, but...

There's always next year, I guess. Safety does come first after all.

 

Sad, but E3 was dying a slow death even before this announcement. I mean Sony wasn't even going to attend for the 2nd year in a row. I'm sure we'll get live streams annoucing the new titles though

 

Not too surprised about this announcement. Journalists and insiders were telling people last night to cancel their plans. I'm somewhat disappointed that E3 won't happen this year, but this is perfectly understandable because a lot of events are either being cancelled or are taking place with a limited audience. Example: The local high school boys state basketball tournament in my state is limiting spectators, a decision made by the city's health department, especially since a student from a smaller town who attended last week's girls basketball state tournament was tested positive for coronavirus. In the end, safety is the most important thing.

Though I'm curious on how Microsoft would showcase the Series X. I'm guessing they'll do a livestream on that.

 

well its a sensible thing to do

 

welp

I guess E3 isn't happening, but it's the right thing to do.

 

Ah well, E3 hasn’t been good in years anyway.

 

Ah well, Nintendo does their own thing so much that they'll likely do an event around that time anyway.

 

Too bad we just can’t cancel the virus for being a murderous troll bent on world destruction .

 

That's a bummer.
Hope we get some kind of Direct from Nintendo.

 

Well it’s not all that surprising, considering the virus has now become a worldwide epidemic. After all, health and safety does come first.

 

It’s a shame, but it’s the right thing to do, because...you know.

 

Last year’s main Nintendo E3 presentation was just a Direct broadcast at that time, so there’s no reason to think the same wouldn’t still happen. Sure, there might not be booths and demos and side presentations, but there’s still going to be news and announcements I’m sure. The event was cancelled, not video game production.

 

Bummer...now how are we even gonna get a hype-worthy reveal...

 

A shame but the right call.

Health and well being of others comes above everything!

For the best!

 

why dont they just do it without an audience and put it on youtube?

 

why dont they just do it without an audience and put it on youtube?

I assume something like that will happen. Nintendo Directs are pre-recorded anyway, so the actual news portion will probably still air. The demos, Treehouse, and other live demonstrations probably won't.