Sony announced on Thursday that PlayStation will not be making an appearance during this year’s PAX East event. In an explanation for why the company came to that decision, Sony said the reasoning stems from concerns around the coronavirus. Sony expressed disappointment in the need to pull out of the event but said the health and safety of the company’s global workforce ranked above other concerns.
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The announcement about the PAX East pullout was shared on Wednesday just over a week before the event is scheduled to begin. Sony announced previously the full lineup of games it’d feature at PAX East which included The Last of Us Part II among other games.
“Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”),” Sony said in an update to its initial PAX East post. “We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern.”
Update on PlayStation’s presence at PAX East: https://t.co/BLeRha1BKw
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) February 19, 2020
We’re so sad to have to miss PAX East! We were really looking forward to meeting you and seeing your reactions to the demo. Although we know this makes the wait until May 29 a bit harder, we appreciate your understanding. Don’t worry, we’ll have more to share closer to launch. https://t.co/tIJ0Z7Ztcs
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) February 19, 2020
The Last of Us Part II developer Naughty Dog echoed the sentiments in the post soon after by saying the studio was sad to miss the event. This would’ve been the first time The Last of Us Part II was playable by the public.
Sony is not the only gaming company that’s now decided to change its plans due to the coronavirus concerns. The release of The Outer Worlds on the Nintendo Switch was delayed earlier in the month after it was originally supposed to release on March 6th. A shortage of Nintendo Switch units is also expected to affect areas like North America and Europe in the coming months because of the virus.
