E3 has always been the godfather when it comes to Video Games Conventions, almost every developer whether their big or small comes to E3 to show off whatever game, accessory, etc., that they’ve been working on.
While the convention itself has shrunk in attendance over the years and had its fair share of controversy due to Major Companies & Developers pulling out and not to mention the private information that got leaked of hundreds of journalists, it still remains on the top of the list as one of the most-watched and attended conferences of the year.
There will be no physical attendance for anybody this year as E3 2020 has just been canceled due to growing concerns over the COVID-19 Coronavirus. I’m sure everybody is familiar with the Coronavirus and the impact it’s having on people and companies around the world, thousands of deaths worldwide and many more who have contacted the virus. Major Companies, Bands, Sports Shows, and so many others have been canceling shows left and right due to the spread of the virus all over the world.
Developers were already pulling out of E3 this year for that very reason, that combined with safety concerns ultimately decided the fate of E3 this year. The ESA (Organizer of E3) released a statement with a more in-depth explanation for the show’s cancellation and plans for E3 next year.
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.
As you can see in their statement there looks to be plans in place for a Digital-Only E3 with the likes of Xbox & Devolver Digital expressing their plans for it as well. It’s going to be very strange with no physical E3 show this year and interesting to see how other developers decide to show their products off that they usually would at E3.
GamebredMatrix 
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