E3 Convention Canceled over Coronavirus Fears

E3 conference presentation
MARK RALSTON/Getty
Lucas Nolan

One of the world’s largest gaming and consumer electronics conventions, the E3 expo, has been canceled due to fear of the Wuhan coronavirus.

Business Insider reports that one of the world’s biggest gaming, entertainment, and consumer electronics events, the E3 expo, has been canceled due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus. An official announcement from event organizers was recently released and can be seen below:

According to the statement, the organizers made the “difficult decision to cancel E3” based on “careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry.”

The Electronics Entertainment Expo was set to take place this June, organizers are now reportedly looking into running an online convention.

Nintendo, Microsoft, and 2K were amongst some of the companies set to announce titles at this year’s convention. The Entertainment Software Association is reportedly “exploring options for an online E3 event this summer.” Expectations for this year’s E3 were already reduced after it was announced that PlayStation maker Sony would not be attending the event.

Sony stated that it did not feel that E3 was “the right venue for what we are focused on this year,” making it the second year that the company had declined to attend the event. Earlier today, indie game publisher Devolver Digital posted a brief, ominous message on Twitter stating: “Cancel your E3 flights and hotels, y’all.

One source speaking to Ars Technica stated that they had heard news of the E3 cancelation “directly from ESA members” and that a public statement “was supposed to be today [Tuesday, March 10] and slipped.”

So far, many possible attendees have expressed their disappointment about the cancelation across Twitter:

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com

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