Report: E3 2020 is set to be cancelled

Given the increasingly dramatic steps governments and businesses around the world are taking to try and limit the impact of the coronavirus, E3 – the biggest gaming convention, due to be held in June – felt increasingly unlikely.

Now, according to multiple sources reporting to Ars Technica, that decision has indeed been made, and will be made official imminently.

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One source said that E3’s cancellation had been communicated “directly from ESA [Entertainment Software Association] members” and was supposed to be made official on Tuesday, only to slip. Indie developer Devolver Digital potentially let the cat out of the bag a little early simply tweeting: “Cancel your E3 flights and hotels, y’all.”

It’s not clear at this point whether E3 will be fully cancelled, postponed or simply carried out behind closed doors and streamed into homes. If the sources are correct, we should find out what this means in short order.

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In the absence of an official announcement, we can only speculate at the reasoning, but you’d bet your bottom dollar that it involves the word “coronavirus” given the global outbreak has already seen the cancellation of MWC and Google I/O, alongside a hit to tech supply chains worldwide. As recently as last month, the ESA was “monitoring and evaluating the situation daily,” but ultimately planning for “a safe and successful E3 Show.”

While we’re rapidly approaching a situation where it’s more of a news story for events not to be cancelled, the loss of E3 isn’t as big a deal as it would have been a few years ago. In recent years, the biggest names in gaming have become less likely to show up. The likes of Nintendo, EA and Activision-Blizzard have all given it a miss in recent years, and Sony had already confirmed it wouldn’t be in attendance for the second year running, too – despite the upcoming release of the PS5.

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