E3 2020 Has Been Officially Cancelled

With the growing global concern of the Coronavirus, talks of the biggest annual gaming event E3 being cancelled have been prevalent over recent weeks. Now there is unfortunately official confirmation of the events cancellation from the E3 website.

A statement on the E3 website reads: “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.”

However, this doesn’t seem to be the end of E3 just yet despite many speculating that the event might cease to exist next year, with more partners dropping out. The final paragraph talks about the events return next year, stating: “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.”

It isn’t all doom and gloom for those looking forward to all of the fresh game news and announcements that happen during the E3 period. Xbox head Phil Spencer immediately took to Twitter following the announcement to reassure that there would be a digital event in place of the traditional press conference.

The official Devolver Digital and Ubisoft Twitter accounts have also mentioned hosting a digital event at a currently unspecified time, while Limited Run Games has announced that it will be holding a digital event on 8th June at 3pm ET/7pm GMT. Expect other publishers such as Nintendo to announce their alternate plans closer to the date as well.

Hopefully this only acts as a temporary setback, with E3 returning stronger than ever in 2021.