E3 2020 will be cancelled, ComicBook.com has learned. Currently there has been been no official word of the show being cancelled, but many sources, all very credible, are claiming an announcement coming this morning. What this means for exhibitors, attendees, and the industry are still up in the air. However, now that the cat is out of the bag, this announcement could be accelerated to tonight, and come right on the back of reports that a new Batman game, AAA Harry Potter game, and more will be at the show.
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As of writing this, the Entertainment Software Association — the organization that puts on the show — has not commented on this slew of reports and rumors, and it likely won’t if an an official announcement is ready to come out of the oven.
It’s worth pointing out that there seems to be a little uncertainty about whether or not the show will be outright cancelled, postponed, or held as something completely different. Chances are it’s the most former though.
Cancel your E3 flights and hotels, y’all.
— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) March 11, 2020
My day started with investigating some E3 stuff. Ended with multiple (and I mean MULTIPLE) sources coming my way.
E3 cancelation announcement scheduled for tmw AM. I don’t think it will hold the night. Many of us have been engaged by sources this evening.
Cancel your plans.
— Mike Futter (@Futterish) March 11, 2020
Been hearing secondhand whispers tonight from several devs/pubs that E3 is cancelled, although I’ve also heard from a couple of people in positions to know that the ESA hasn’t officially made a decision yet and is still consulting with pubs. Either way, it’s only a matter of time https://t.co/Od0MDj3ZXv
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) March 11, 2020
— Patrick Klepek (@patrickklepek) March 11, 2020
As alluded to, many events — including many gaming events — have been cancelled the past few weeks over concerns of coronavirus, which has spread across the globe and been upgraded from an epidemic to a pandemic. Of course, E3 2020 isn’t scheduled to go down until June, but these type of decisions need to be made early given all the stakeholders and money involved.
That said, when E3 2020 is cancelled, it doesn’t mean there won’t be announcements during its usual June window. For example, Nintendo hasn’t done a live presser at the show in years. They simply come packing a pre-recorded video, which can be shown whether or not the actual event of E3 goes down.
While PlayStation already confirmed it wouldn’t be at E3 this year, Microsoft and others confirmed they were poised to return, and the expectation was the next-generation of console gaming would be the centerpiece of the show. Unfortunately, it looks like many PS5 and Xbox Series X games will need to find somewhere else to flaunt their stuff. That said, as you wait for this to happen, don’t forget to check out our articles for every PS5 game confirmed so far and every Xbox Series X game confirmed so far to make sure you’re caught up on each console.
We will be sure to update this post as updates come in. Meanwhile, be sure to check into Comicbook.com tomorrow morning for when the official announcement likely happens.
