A number of major events in the gaming industry have been postponed or outright canceled due concerns relating to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. GDC 2020 saw several major companies drop out before it was eventually postponed to the Summer. It seems that E3 2020 is next to be canceled according to new report from Ars Technica.
The site confirmed speaking to “Multiple sources familiar with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA)’s plans” and that news of the cancellation will be coming soon. One source stated that news of the cancellation was heard “directly from ESA members” and was meant to happen yesterday but subsequently slipped. So it’s very possible that the announcement takes place today.
This comes off of several reports from industry professionals like Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, though he noted at the time that the, “ESA hasn’t officially made decision yet and is still consulting with pubs.” It’s also worth noting that the reason for the cancellation wasn’t made clear (even though it’s more than likely due to the coronavirus). Whether the event will be postponed and what plans publishers will have for any major announcements (like Microsoft, which had a fairly big show planned) remains to be seen. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.