E3
Word has officially come out that E3 2020 has been canceled but there looks to be signs some of E3 will carry on before 2021
More or less, the headline there says it all as E3 has been officially canceled for 2020 due to fears over the COVID-19 virus. That would be the Coronavirus for those not looking to be all official with the naming convention. The one that currently has the world in grips of fear, and while I could go on about this topic in general, you are here for gaming news and the like. Therefore, we will stick to E3 and how this possible pandemic has caused one of the bigger shows in the industry to be canceled. Just as GDC was recently canceled and others like Wondercon and SDCC are up in the air on if they are still going to happen.
Before I carry on, here is the official word from the ESA in regards to this year's E3 and what they are trying to do for those affected. That and that they are also working to bring something to us all for this year and it is not the end of the expo. They currently do plan to have E2 in 2021 if the world is not thrust into a downward spiral any further. Have a read and get informed.
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.
Now that we have that done, let us dive into more on how E3's cancellation is a bigger deal for some out there than many are paying attention to. This is a huge hit to many of the smaller game developers and publishers, as well as some of the smaller outlets out there like ours. These kinds of events are some of the few where we actually get a chance to look at and experience some of these titles to better cover and bring you the unfiltered opinions. That is what we try to do here at the very least. Now that E3 is not going to happen, this is going to be infinitely harder for many of us who are not in some form of pocket to continue to do this. Just take a moment and think about that as that does not even persist to just this site here.
Events like E3 have been called out to "die-off" for a while now, but these events are the only time that some of the true fans that do this for the love of gaming and not the payment can actually have a one-on-one with those making the games. In the entire run of this site, and we are not the only one in this boat, we have only ever been able to attend few press events and tours over the years where games are shown off. All of the content we bring you here we have to fight to get a chance to see outside of these larger events. Even during these events, we are not given the same level of access as others. Even those larger outlets that have been caught breaking NDAs, embargoes, and being dishonest in the past. I will not name them, but a quick search will give you those names.
I am sure this will all sound like someone is just complaining to complain and partially as if I have no regard for those affected by the virus. That could not be further from the truth, but watching many make comments that the cancelation of E3 besides there being the viral concerns is a good thing… you most likely do not understand how this affects so many others out there. That or if it is an overreaction to just garner good faith with the community. Especially if you look at the fact that on the same day this was announced, many of those larger outlets are posting about another press event that packed many people into tight quarters at Disney yet there were no concerns of the illness. Food for thought.
Agree or disagree with me on the cancelation of E3 this year or just in general, we want to hear and read your thoughts down in the comments. Feel free to let them loose and then discuss. We will keep aiming to bring you what we can from the gaming industry even without the likes of E3 or GDC. Be sure to keep checking back in here for our thoughts and opinions on things.
