E3 2020 canceled due to coronavirus concerns

The major gathering of game publishers and developers will not take place this year.

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What you need to know

Afterrumorsthat spread over the last couple of days that E3 2020 was going to be canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we’ve gotconfirmationfrom the ESA: E3 2020 is being canceled.

“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,” the ESA said.

“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.”

Many publishers will likely be holding digital events to replace the conferences that would’ve taken place right before E3. Phil Spencer hasalready confirmedthis will be the case for Xbox, with details on a digital event coming in the next few weeks. Ubisoft hasalso confirmedit is looking into a digital event.

This story is currently developing

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Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.