The Entertainment Software Association announced Wednesday it is officially canceling the annual E3 gaming conference. The event was initially slated to take place June 9-11 in Los Angeles.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, also known as E3, is perhaps the biggest trade show in the video game industry. Most major video game companies — including Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo — attend E3 every year, and it’s a hotbed for the latest tech and new game announcements.
E3 attracts tens of thousands of people every year from all over the world. But in the time of coronavirus, such a large gathering of people is a cause for concern. A slew of other major events around the world, including SXSW, Coachella, the Game Developers Conference and F8 to name a few, have also been canceled or postponed in recent weeks.
“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,” ESA wrote in a statement on its website. “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.”
ESA also said it’s in the process of providing full refunds to attendees and exhibitors, and the organization behind the event says that it’s looking into doing an online event instead.
Meanwhile, the association also confirmed that E3 2021 is still moving forward as planned.
