The world’s premier video game trade show, due to be held in June in Los Angeles, was canceled on Wednesday over the spread of COVID-19.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) said that the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) would not take place, becoming the latest in a growing list of canceled conferences.
“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,” the association said in an online post.
“We know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today,” it said.
The annual event has been a showcase for new video game titles, trends and hardware, attracting people from around the world.
E3 had long been restricted to members of the industry, but in recent years, it has dabbled with opening sections of the show to fans.
New-generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles along with games tailored for the hardware were expected to be in the spotlight at E3 this year.
PlayStation-maker Sony Corp pulled out of E3 earlier this year, but Microsoft Corp had events planned for the gathering.
“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,” organizers said.
The ESA added that it is working with video game industry companies on streaming events or announcements to online audiences to share news planned for release at E3.
French video game giant Ubisoft SA said that while it is disappointed in the cancelation of E3, it supports the decision made to protect people’s health.
“E3 is and will continue to be a moment where we come together as a community and share our love of games,” Ubisoft said in a statement.
“We’re exploring other options for a digital experience that will allow us to share all the exciting news we have planned,” it said.
Google last week canceled its major annual gathering in May of software developers amid virus concerns and Facebook has canceled its F8 developers conference.
A TED conference slated to take place in Vancouver next month was postponed until late July.
The major annual South By Southwest cultural conference slated to take place in Austin, Texas, was also canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
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