Microsoft, Ubisoft, and More Announce Digital Events Amid E3 2020 Cancellation (UPDATE)
The first time the annual gaming event won’t be happening since 1996.
UPDATE (March 11, 2020): Microsoft, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Games, among others have announced plans for digital events following the cancellation of E3 due to recent coronavirus concerns. Microsoft was previously going to hold a live press conference at the Microsoft Theater during the electronics show in June, debuting the upcoming Xbox Series X and new games.
Ubisoft was set to showoff Watch Dogs Legion, the next Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry installments, among other projects. According to Kotaku‘s Jason Schreier, Warner Bros. was going to announced the next Batman and Harry Potter title from Rocksteady, and will presumably look for alternative announcements. Although Nintendo was supposed to have a booth at the event, it will assuredly hold a Nintendo Direct in June as it has in recent years.
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
An update regarding E3 2020. pic.twitter.com/cThkDIkfVm
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) March 11, 2020
More news from me: Warner Bros. Games was planning to do an E3 press conference this year for the first time, to talk about Batman, Harry Potter, and Rocksteady’s game among others. Remains to be seen what they’ll do now https://t.co/OIry5zgB6p
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) March 11, 2020
ORIGINAL STORY (March 11, 2020): E3 has been canceled due to concerns regarding the spread of the novel coronavirus, a new report by Ars Technica claims. The website has reported that multiple sources familiar with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the group that organizes the massive gaming event, has confirmed the news. This marks the first time that E3 won’t be happening since 1996. Ars Technica has added that an official announcement from ESA is expected to come soon.
The news comes after several companies pulled out of the gaming convention, including Sony as well as video game publisher Devolver Digital. Late last month ESA stated that it would go ahead with the event and just last week it noted that it was “monitoring and evaluating the situation daily.” After that initial announcement, E3’s contracted creative directors, iam8bit, pulled out from its post after working for just five weeks.
In the past ten days, cases of coronavirus in the United States have shot up from 75 to 1,010, resulting in 30 deaths.
For more related news, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch lighting ceremony will not allow spectators.
