The Taipai Game Show 2020 has been officially cancelled. Originally set for February, the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic resulted in delay. It was postponed to June 25th but the decision has been made to ultimately cancel the event due to health and safety concerns.
In an official statement, the organizing committee said, “Taipei Game Show 2020 was originally rescheduled on June 25 to 28. However, as the escalation of the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) continues, also comply with the latest rules by Taiwan CDC of suspending all the indoor events with 100 attendees as evaluative criteria.
“After consulting with most of the exhibitors regarding the health and safety, the organizing committee is officially calling off Taipei Game Show 2020 (B2C Zone, B2B Zone) and Asia Pacific Game Summit. Also, the team will be arranging full refunds and retention on all exhibitors paid fees and deposits.
“World Health Organization (WHO) characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11 and by following the regulation of Taiwan CDC such as the entry restriction for foreigners to Taiwan and the mass gathering guidelines. The organizing committee indicated that Taipei Game Show may cause the negligence of precaution since it has been gathering 300K visits every year, furthermore, total of 235 confirmed cases have been occurred so far in Taiwan.
“Some of the exhibitors, the trade visitors, the game developers, and guests cannot enter Taiwan because of the border control. The priority now is to comply with the guidelines and countermeasures announced by the government authorities and prevent the epidemic from further spreads. Therefore, we decide to call off Taipei Game Show 2020.”
While a physical event is no longer happening, an “Online Business Matching Event” and “Taipei Game Show LIVE!” are in the works for showcasing different announcements. Originally, the show was meant to features games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring so it’s possible they could make appearances there. No dates have been given for when these events will take place.
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has caused a significant shakeup in the industry, resulting in the postponement of events like GDC 2020 and the cancellation of E3 2020. While GDC 2020 will take place in August, the ESA is planning an online event for E3 2020. Companies like Microsoft and Ubisoft who planned to attend the expo are currently planning their own digital events for future announcements.