Bethesda Softworks and id Software announced this week that their annual QuakeCon event which was set to take place in August has now been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The companies announced the decision to cancel the event this week in a joint statement which said the decision is the result of weeks of discussions regarding how to approach the event. August is a ways off compared to events in the next few weeks which have similarly been cancelled, but Bethesda and id Software said they’re opting to cancel the event out of safety concerns for all who would be involved.
A celebration and showcase for everything Bethesda and id Software are working on, QuakeCon was supposed to take place in Grapevine, Texas, from August 6th to August 9th. The tweet from the official QuakeCon account shared on Tuesday along with an identical announcement shared on the QuakeCon site confirmed that the event had been cancelled even though the companies said there’s no way of telling what the pandemic situation will look like in August.
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An update on QuakeCon 2020: pic.twitter.com/1FYUauI7PY
— QuakeCon (@QuakeCon) March 31, 2020
“In recent weeks we have spent a lot of time discussing how we might still move forward with QuakeCon this year, particularly given that it’s the 25th year of the event,” the joint statement said. “However, with all of the logistical challenges and uncertainties we currently face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s QuakeCon. The health and safety of our employees, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, and players will always be our top priority, and in these times it felt wrong to be talking about a gathering when gathering is the last thing any of us should be doing right now.”
It’s unclear what, if anything, will take QuakeCon’s place in August now that the event has been cancelled, but Bethesda and id Software said they’re looking into “ways to celebrate the spirit of QuakeCon this August.”
The decision to cancel the event follows similar developments from numerous other companies who’ve been forced to cancel their events or revise plans. Other events scheduled to take place in Texas have also been adjusted recently.
