In another sad turn of fate, the world’s largest convention surrounding computer and console gaming has officially been canceled for this year. E3 2020 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is now added to the list of many shows that have closed their doors due to the fears surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19).
This doesn’t come at a surprise given the number of shows that have been dropping as of late. What does come at a slight surprise is the fact that this one didn’t take plus until June. This means the shows are reaching out further when it comes to cancelations and not just what’s coming around the corner. It likely has to do with the amount of money that was put into the setup of shows like MWC 2020, before they were eventually canceled despite already in the process of being built within their convention space(s). So they likely want to stomp it out now before that kind of money is already put into action.
Sadly, this is one of the most anticipated conventions out there. The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) level event for the video game industry.
The cost to the convention industry is well over $1 billion already and climbing, with dozens of shows canceling all over. We have assembled a list here of just some of these shows (in no specific order) that have been canceled so far this year:
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Again, this just names some of the popular ones and fails to mention many more. Some of these shows are large conventions open to the public, while some of them are limited to sales and other channels that are internal to companies and partners. Regardless, they bring in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of attendees every year. This brings an incredible amount of revenue to the hosting cities. Revenue that these cities and related venues are not going to see this year.
Thankfully, various companies still plan on making major announcements through their own channels or future events later in the year. So we won’t be missing anything coming from our favorite gaming companies, including Microsoft, Sony, Google and more.
E3 has always been an important moment for Team Xbox. Given this decision, this year we'll celebrate the next generation of gaming with the @Xbox community and all who love to play via an Xbox digital event. Details on timing and more in the coming weeks https://t.co/xckMKBPf9h
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 11, 2020
Many other shows are right around the corner or a few months away, including events like WonderCon, Comic-Con, InfoComm, Black Hat, Red Hat Summit, Computex, VidCon, MWC Shanghai, and so much more. Hopefully, the world can get this under control before further damage is done to the industry, market, and hard-working people that make it all happen.
