The news came out this morning that E3 2020 has been canceled due to the Coronavirus also known as the COVID-19. This isone of many events that been canceled or delayedover the last few weeks. However, Xbox will not sit idly by as the major convention shuts down for the first time in years.
In a statement released this morning, Phil Spencer announced that the team is planning to create a digital event. The vice president of gaming at Microsoft was unable to provide details on where and when the event will take place, butassured fans this was a big loss for them as well.
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Last year, Spencer announced the initial plans for what was formerly known asProject Scarlet and later revealed as the Xbox Series X. Now that E3 is canceled, further details will be announced via video without the bonus of interacting with products.
Spencer acknowledged how fans have enjoyed participating in digital events in the past, and hopes that this will be similar. However,fans of E3 are worried that this might be the final strawfor the gaming event.
Before the Coronavirus broke out of Wuhan, several companies were already pulling out of E3. Sony has announced that they weren’t attending the event for the second year in a row.Xbox fans made a meal out of this announcementclaiming that Xbox had “won the event.” Sony explained that they felt their vision for the event didn’t align with their goals. Many went on to speculate that Sony would release details of the PS5 through their own event.
The news of Sony’s exit from E3 was then followed shortly bythe resignation of Geoff Knightley, a mainstay at the gaming events. Knightley, who had attended every E3 event for the last 25 years, released an emotional statement saying, “I just don’t feel comfortable participating given what I know about the show as of today.” It still remains unclear what exactly Knightley was uncomfortable with, but other companies expressed similar disinterest.
Not long after the resignation of Knightley came another blow to E3 when the team fromiam8bit announced they were no longer running the show. The sudden resignation took ESA and fans by total surprise. iam8bit’s reasoning was unclear, although some theorized that it was due to the Coronavirus as well. Whether or not this is the end for E3 is yet to be seen, but the signs aren’t looking good.
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