The COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus has been slowing down travel and leading to the cancellation of events and the gaming world is no different. Coronavirus gaming convention cancellations and game delays are being announced every day or two.

We've put together a list of all of the notable coronavirus gaming cancellations event canceollations and delays in other areas like game development and hardware manufacturing. This list will be updated as new events emerge. ff

Contents

What is the Coronavirus?

My knowledge of medicine pretty much stops at "put the bandage on the ouchie part", so I'm going to let the World Health Organization do the heavy lifting here.

To summarize, coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause illnesses in both animals and humans. Previous coronaviruses that made the news were Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). COVID-19 is the most-recently discovered coronavirus.

COVID-19 most commonly causes fever, tiredness, and a dry cough. Most people recover from the virus without any major problems, but roughly 1 in 6 develop severe enough symptoms that they have difficulty breathing.

How is this latest coronavirus spread? Scientists and doctors are still evaluating the disease, but the best data shows that it can be spread through droplets from the nose or mouth which are expelled when a person coughs or even exhales. It's best to stay at least 1 meter (3 feet) away from people who are sick and sanitize or avoid any surfaces that may have been contaminated by these droplets.

Read the World Health Organizations Q&A on coronaviruses for more details from people who know their stuff.

Update: The World Health Organization characterized the COVID-19 novel coronavirus as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

You can read more about how to be prepared for the coronavirus at the WHO's website.

What is the Coronavirus Effect on Gaming?

You'll note in the preceding section that it's advised for people to stay at least 1 meter (3 feet) away from people who may be sick with the coronavirus. As anyone who has been to a gaming convention can tell you, people get packed in pretty tightly.

Factories, too, often have a lot of people operating close to one another. In both cases, a lot of people are touching many different objects in a short amount of time. Essentially, any place where large numbers of people gather and touch a lot of stuff could potentially turn into a vehicle for spreading the virus.

As a consequence, some gaming companies have pulled out of conventions. Some game developers are opting to work remotely, resulting in delays in game development. Finally, factories and other manufacturing facilities in some areas have been affected one way or another, further slowing things down.

Coronavirus Convention Cancellations

Gaming conventions have anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of attendees in close quarters, making them prime territory for spreading disease. "Con crud" is well-known in the gaming community, but the coronavirus is on another level.

As a result, there have been several coronavirus gaming convention cancellations. No major conventions have been outright canceled just yet, but a lot of developers and companies are pulling out of some pretty big trade shows.

PAX East Coronavirus Cancellations

PAX East 2020 is taking place from February 27, 2020–March 1, 2020. Unfortunately, a number of gaming companies — some of them quite large — have announced that they are pulling out of this year's show over concerns about the coronavirus.

PlayStation had intended to go to PAX East 2020, but they've decided to keep their Japanese staff at home and avoid traveling. Unfortunately, this also means that the planned demo of The Last of Us Part II won't be making an appearance at this year's show. The demo was to give players a chance to play an entire hour's worth of content from the game.

Sony's backing out of the event brought pleas from Boston's Mayor asking the Japanese company to re-evaluate its stance, but no such change has happened.

PAX East is Taking Preventative Measures to Prepare for 2020

Although PlayStation has pulled out of the show, PAX East will still be going on as planned. The convention released a statement detailing the preventative measures that they were taking for the show:

"PAX East 2020 will take place as scheduled with enhanced cleaning and sanitization across the show, including adhering to the recommendations set forth in the U.S. EPA’s Emerging Pathogen Policy regarding cleaning disinfectants effective against the COVID-19 virus. We are working closely with the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and following local, state and federal public health guidelines, including those issued by the CDC. For more information on those measures and the virus, please visit the PAX East travel page and the MCCA website."

CAPCOM's Monster Hunter Dev Team Will Not Attend PAX East

The Monster Hunter developers had planned to attend PAX East, but they will not be doing so due to the coronavirus gaming crisis.

"An update on MH Festa: Boston 2020:" began the tweet from CAPCOM USA. "Unfortunately, our guests from the MH dev team will no longer be able to attend the event. We will no longer have an autograph session but are still planning to share #Iceborne news. Our sincere apologies for [the] inconvenience!"

Square Enix Reduces presence PAX East

Square Enix was one of a batch of major companies that also pulled out of PAX East 2020. The following planned events are canceled:

Panel Session: The Artwork of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Look Behind the Screen

Developer Signing Sessions & Photo Op

Fan Gathering

PUBG Corp. (PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS) and CD Projekt RED (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077) have canceled their plans to travel to PAX East 2020. Neither company had major events planned, but PUBG Corp. had a "happy hour" event at a bar planned and the CDPR staff were simply going to attend the show.

Sky: Children of the Light Developer 'That Game Company' Stays Home from PAX

Sky: Children of the Light developer That Game Company (yes, that's their name) has made the decision to keep their "small international team" home from PAX East 2020.

"Due to COVID-19 concerns, we’ve made the difficult decision to no longer attend PAX East," read the tweet from That Game Company. "As a small international team, we want to put the health of our team first & take every precaution to avoid risk. Thanks for your understanding & we hope to meet everyone at later events!"

Celeste Creators Staying Home from PAX East 2020 and GDC 2020

Extremely Okay Games (EXOK) announced in a tweet that it would not be attending PAX East 2020 or GDC 2020, nor would any of its employees.

"For the record, no one from EXOK will be at GDC or PAX East this year," read a tweet from EXOK's Matt Thorson. "Sorry to everyone looking to meet up, have fun!"

GDC Coronavirus Cancellations

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is a show hosted in San Francisco every year where game developers get together and host "sessions" that talk about game development. While there are occasional game and tech announcements, most devs are going to the show to talk shop. This year's show is slated for March 16–20, 2020.

Update: GDC has made the decision to postpone this year's conference.

Facebook & Oculus Back out of GDC 2020

Facebook (and its virtual reality gaming subsidiary Oculus) have both announced that they are not going to GDC 2020 this year. Here's Facebook's statement:

GDC is always a highlight of our gaming event lineup, however the health of our employees and the wider games community comes before anything else. Due to the evolving health concerns surrounding COVID-19, Facebook’s AR/VR and Gaming teams will not be attending GDC this year.

Oculus, which is owned by Facebook, released a similar statement of their own which effectively communicates the same message.

Sony Cancels Participation in GDC 2020

Following their cancellation of PAX East events, Sony later announced that they would also not be participating in GDC 2020. Here's their announcement:

"We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus). We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern."

Several Kojima Productions staff (including Hideo Kojima himself) planned to go to GDC 2020, but they have since backed out. Mr. Kojima's session "DEATH STRANDING's Design Philosophy" and Eric Johnson's session "AI Summit: 'Death Stranding': An AI Postmortem" are both canceled as a result.

Electronic Arts relayed a message to their employees that they would be canceling their official participation at GDC and advising employees not to travel to events. Furthermore, they stated that they are limiting their attendance to other events. Here is a statement EA provided to TechRaptor regarding GDC 2020:

"Having closely followed the global situation with Coronavirus and with the recent escalation of cases in new regions, we have decided to take additional steps to protect the wellbeing of our employees including the restriction of all non-essential travel. As a result we are also [canceling] our official participation at GDC and limiting attendance to other events. We are continuing to monitor the situation and will adjust guidelines to our employees as we feel is appropriate."

Global Video Game Investment Fund Kowloon Nights Pulls Out of GDC

A gaming investment fund called Kowloon Nights has announced that they're pulling out of GDC this year, although they still plan to attend PAX East 2020.

"Hi everyone! We wanted to give an update about GDC," the company's tweet began. "As a team, we have decided to pull out of GDC this year. With international travel concerns on the rise due to COVID-19, we want to do our best to care for ourselves and others."

"We have [canceled] our in-person meetings and will be taking them remotely another time - thank you for your understanding and we hope everyone attending has a great (and safe) GDC!"

GDC 2020 Will Go On as Planned

Despite some pretty big names backing out, GDC has stated that the show will go on as planned.

"The Game Developers Conference will take place as planned in March, and we are watching closely for new developments around the Novel Coronavirus (COVID19 or 2019-nCoV) situation in China to keep the GDC community appraised of the latest updates. This page will keep you posted on new information, as well as our approach to keep our attendees healthy and safe."

PUBG Corp 'Cancels [Its] Presence' at GDC

PUBG Corp is another company that is pulling out of both PAX East 2020 and GDC 2020. Here is their announcement:

"In an update from the recent invite, PUBG Corporation has decided to cancel [its] presence at PAX as well as GDC 2020 due to the continued spread of coronavirus. Unfortunately, this means that we will not be hosting the planned happy hour at Rosa Mexicano this Friday. We will be rescheduling this plan for an upcoming event, once the coronavirus is under control and travel returns to normal. My apologies, as we were looking forward to seeing you in Boston. Hope we can count you in for our next happy hour – which I will share details on soon."

Unity Makes 'Difficult Decision' to Pull Out of GDC 2020

Unity is one of the biggest supports of GDC, but they've decided to not go to this year's show. Here's their announcement:

Unfortunately, this year, after much thought and deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to pull out of GDC 2020. While we did not make this decision lightly, the current conditions with COVID-19 (also known as Novel Coronavirus) present too much risk. We take our employees’ wellbeing very seriously. We do not want any Unity employee or partner to compromise their health and safety unnecessarily.

Notably, Unity’s offices are very near the actual location of GDC in San Francisco. Presumably, their lack of attendance is more about avoiding the crowds of people more than anything else.

Pixeljunk Games Developer Q-Games 'Unfortunately Not Attending' GDC 2020

Q-Games is the developer of the Pixeljunk franchise and they've canceled their plans to attend this year's GDC.

"Sorry folks. By now many of you may have already heard from other sources that work at Q-Games," read a tweet from the company. "We will [unfortunately not] be attending GDC as was previously stated. Kinda sucks, but we have to look after our staff, make sure they’re fed and watered, fresh bedding and all that."

Microsoft Game Stack Moves to Digital-Only Event in Lieu of Attending GDC

Microsoft Game Stack is changing its GDC plans "out of an abundance of caution". Having reviewed the advice given by global health authorities, they've made the decision to avoid showing up in person and present a digital-only event.

You'll be able to see all of their planned content during this digital event from March 16–18, 2020, on microsoft.com/gamestack.

Women In Gaming Halts Attendance, Cancels Planned Events

Xbox's Women In Gaming team have followed suit with their company partners over at Microsoft Game Stack and announced that they're staying home from this year's show.

"It’s with regret that Xbox won’t be at GDC in 2020," the tweet from Women in Gaming announced. "This unfortunately includes our [community-focused] events, such as our @WomenInGaming Rally, that we were so excited for."

Xbox Games Preview and [email protected] Events Also Canceled

IGN Reporter Matt Kim states that Microsoft's Xbox Game Preview and [email protected] Events have also been canceled. Epic Games Makes 'Difficult Decision to Withdraw from GDC

Epic Games have announced that "uncertainty around health concerns" has caused them to back out of this year's show.

"Here at Epic we were excited about participating in GDC 2020," a tweet from the company stated. "Regrettably, uncertainty around health concerns has made it unviable to send our employees, and so we have made the difficult decision to withdraw attendance."

Kotaku's Jason Schreier Backs Out, Suspects Show will be Canceled by End of Day on Feb. 27

Kotaku's News Editor Jason Schreier has publicly announced that he's reversing his plans to attend this year's show. Moreover, he doesn't have high hopes for GDC 2020 happening at all this year.

"Sad to say it, but I'm [canceling] my GDC trip," Mr. Schreier said in a tweet. "I suspect that the show will be officially [canceled] by the end of the day"

Motion Capture Company Vicon Withdraws Due to Fewer Companies Attending

"Regrettably, due to the number of partners and customers withdrawing their attendance from GDC 2020, Vicon will not be attending this year," stated a tweet from motion capture company Vicon.

As far as we can tell, this is notably the first company backing out because there will be fewer partners and customers attending this year.

SpeedTree '[Reschedules] Meetings', Cancels GDC Attendance

SpeedTree is another tech company that's going to be backing out this year. Primarily, they focus on software that lets game and film makers create 3D vegetation with ease.

"In light of the current COVID-19 conditions, SpeedTree won’t be attending GDC 2020," a tweet from the company stated. "This was a hard decision and while we were excited to attend, safety is our top priority. We will be rescheduling meetings and making some exciting announcements soon, so stay tuned."

Killer Instict Dev Iron Galaxy Studios Stays Home

Indie game developer Iron Galaxy Studios have canceled their travel plans for this year's GDC. Like many others in here, the company made their announcement via Twitter.

"As you’ve probably heard by now, a lot of game companies have canceled travel to GDC this year due to concerns about Coronavirus / COVID-19. Based upon our desire to put everyone’s safety first, we have also made the decision to officially pull out of GDC."

Bithell Games' Alexander Sliwinski Giving Away 'A Few Hundred' Copies of The GameDev Business Handbook to Affected Developers

Author, producer, and wearer of many hats Alexander Sliwinksi is giving away "a few hundred" copies of Michael Futter'sThe GameDev Business Handbook to developers who are missing this year's GDC.

The offer is pretty straightforward according to the tweet:

Email [email protected] , subject GDBH GDC Attach GDC 2020 receipt and snail mail address.

If you had no plans to attend GDC 2020 but you'd like to get the book anyway, you can pick it up on Amazon for $19.99–$29.99 or your regional equivalent.

Disclosure: Amazon works with TechRaptor for affiliate partnership, and TechRaptor earns a small commission off purchases made from some links in this article.

Wooga Won't Go to GDC

German game developer Wooga has canceled its plans for going to GDC 2020 due to the coronavirus gaming crisis.

"This is a precautionary measure as your and our employees' health is very important to me," said Wooga's Founder and CEO Jens Begemann in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz.. "I also don't want employees to be caught out and away from their families, as the risk of getting temporarily stranded increases. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this causes."

GDC Insists the Show Will Go on Barring Further Health Concerns

The Game Developers Conference released a short update on the coronavirus gaming situation and how it would affect this year's show.

"We are closely monitoring the COVID19 (coronavirus) situation and want to assure everyone that your health and safety are a top priority. If our assessment of the situation changes, based on new and evolving developments or updated information, we will promptly update this statement regarding the status of GDC 2020 accordingly."

Celeste Creators Staying Home from PAX East 2020 and GDC 2020

As mentioned above, Extremely Okay Games (EXOK) announced in a tweet that no one from the company would be attending PAX East 2020 or GDC 2020.

Polygon is a No-Go for GDC 2020

Polygon has joined the list of industry professionals skipping out on GDC 2020.

"Sadly, Polygon won't be attending GDC this year," read a tweet from Polygon Editor-In-Chief and Co-Founder Chris Plante. "We prioritize our team's health and wellbeing above everything else, and don't want to take unnecessary risk. We'll see y'all in SF next year!"

"AWS has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the 2020 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco due to continued concerns over COVID-19." read a statement from the company, adding one more big name to the list of cancellations.

Amazon backing out leaves only Google, Intel, and Nvidia as the only remaining Diamond Sponsors who have not yet pulled out of GDC 2020.

GDC 'Animation Exchange' Canceled, Creators Looking for Other Opportunities to Present Talks+

The "Animation Exchange" — a sub-event run by AnimState with a focus on interactive animation — will be canceled. The creators are seeking other avenues for making their planned content available elsewhere.

Sabotage Studio & Chainsawesome Games Staying Home

Developer of The Messenger Sabotage Studi has stated that they're staying home from GDC in a tweet.

"Due to the current situation, Sabotage will not be attending GDC this year," stated the company's tweet. "That being said, we are still announcing our next game on March 19th for the Spring Equinox. We look forward to seeing our industry friends next year. In the meantime, stay safe[.]"

Additionally, Laurent Mercure of Chainsawesome Games (Knight Squad, Aftercharge) replied that they have also decided to not attend.

GameInfomer Won't Attend GDC Due To 'Health Concerns'

Another game journalism outlet has bowed out: Game Informer isn't going to GDC.

"Was waiting for confirmation from the team, but it is now unanimous so I thought I should share that due to health concerns, @gameinformer will not be attending GDC 2020," read a tweet from Game Informer EIC Andy McNamara. "We love the show and our [heart] breaks to back out, but we feel taking this precaution is best."

Blizzard Entertainment & Activision's 'Growing Concerns' About COVID-19 Cancel Their Plans

Blizzard and Activision each announced that they're pulling out of the show.

"Blizzard will no longer attend this year’s @Official_GDC due to growing concerns related to COVID-19," read a tweet on the official Blizzard Entertainment account. "The health and well-being of our teams is our highest priority."

"The conference is and has always been an important event for our developers, so we look forward to participating in the future."

Activision shared a similar message.

"The health and well-being of our teams is our highest priority, and due to growing concerns related to COVID-19, Activision is asking employees not to attend this year’s Game Developers Conference as we continue to monitor the situation. 1/2" read the first of two tweets. The second followed shortly thereafter:

"This was not an easy decision to make, as the conference is and has always been an important event for our developers. We look forward to participating in the future. 2/2"

Austin Indie Developer Certain Affinity Nixes Mixer at GDC

Austin-based indie game developer Certain Affinity had plans to run a mixer on March 17, but those plans are now a no-go.

"We regret to announce that alongside the concerns of our peers and partners surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19), we have decided to cancel our GDC mixer originally planned for March 17th," read a tweet on the company's account. "We do plan to reach out and continue conversations with those that signed up individually, but our overall staff welfare is our top concern. Our employees are evaluating their individual participation at GDC which includes panels, summits, and co-development meetings."

Gearbox Asks Employees To Stay Home, Cancels Scheduled Presentation

Borderlands developer Gearbox is responding to the coronavirus gaming crisis pretty much just like their contemporaries.

"Gearbox today notified GDC organizers that our team will not attend GDC or be able to give their scheduled presentations," read a tweet from the company. "Our employees' health and wellness is our primary concern. (1/2)"

"In the development of Borderlands 3, we broke new ground and, in keeping with the spirit and mission of GDC, some of our developers still want to share that innovation and we will support that through digital presentations. More details will be released on that soon. (2/2)"

Intrepid Studios' Ashes of Creation Team Follows Suit

Intrepid Studios' team for the upcoming MMORPG Ashes of Creation is, much like everyone else here, is no longer attending GDC 2020due to "public health concerns."

hyprMX Cancels, Too

You can throw mobile brand advertiser hyprMX onto the big ol' pile of cancellations according to a tweet from the company that reads much the same as everyone else's thus far.

Game Publisher Modus Ain't Goin' to GDC No Mo'

Modus (A publisher of many fine indie games like Trine 4) has also backed out of the show.

GDC has made the decision to postpone this year's conference. The organization released a statement on the postponement.

After close consultation with our partners in the game development industry and community around the world, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the Game Developers Conference this March. Having spent the past year preparing for the show with our advisory boards, speakers, exhibitors, and event partners, we're genuinely upset and disappointed not to be able to host you at this time[.] We want to thank all our customers and partners for their support, open discussions and encouragement. As everyone has been reminding us, great things happen when the community comes together and connects at GDC. For this reason, we fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer. We will be working with our partners to finalize the details and will share more information about our plans in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page: www.gdconf.com/faq

As the above statement notes, GDC will be hosting some sort of similar event later in the Summer of 2020.

Global game developer conference GameDev.World has announced that they'll be running a fundraiser for developers who may not be able to recoup their travel costs.

Here is a statement from GameDev.World's Executive Director Rami Ismail:

Even in the early stages of organizing these efforts, we can tell from the response to the initiative that the entire industry is concerned about the repercussions that current events have had on marginalized developers in our international community. As we continue to organize these efforts, we’re heartened by the solidarity and excitement amongst all layers of the industry to support those who are affected most by the heartbreaking cancellation of such a central event in our industry. While there is no way to replace all the opportunities of the Game Developer’s Conference, we hope to help alleviate and minimize the loss of opportunity and the financial damage to those that had hoped to attend.

Said fundraiser will be taking place from March 27, 2020–April 3, 2020. Donations will go towards the GDC Relief Fund and the marginalized developers who are most affected by the postponement of the conference. You can find out more at gamedev.world/relief.

IGDA Partners With GameDev.World to Help Out Devs

The International Game Developers Association has announced that they are going to work with GameDev.World to help out developers who have lost out on travel costs with the postponement of this year's show.

Here is a portion of IGDA's statement:

The IGDA is partnering with GameDev.World’s online event and fundraiser to alleviate the financial burdens on developers affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. In addition to providing financial relief, this event will supply education opportunities via free talks about important game development subjects. Attendees across the globe will be able to hone their expertise and knowledge. The IGDA is also partnering with Take This, a trusted leader in mental health practice in the game industry, to develop new materials and standards of support and professionalism to ensure the success of developers. This partnership will provide trusted resources for sustainable development practices by improving human resource practices and leadership development across the game industry.

The Wings GDC relief fund has been set up by a team of mostly indie game developers to assist developers who may be facing financial burdens from non-refundable costs incurred from GDC 2020's postponement. The fund may reimburse the following costs:

Non-refundable flights

Non-refundable accommodation

Visas

Relief awarded through this fund may be prioritized for "people who belong to demographics that are historically less amplified or given less space in the games industry."

mod.io Moves Meetings Online

The cross-platform mod API has moved all of their planned GDC meetings online according to a tweet.

In light of GDC cancellation - we shall be continuing all meetings online and would be delighted to talk to devs about their UGC needs - emails always open [email protected] — mod.io (@modiohq) March 9, 2020

Game Stack Live will Stream Microsoft's Axed GDC Sessions Online

Microsoft Game Stack might have canceled their GDC appearance (before the convention itself was ultimately postponed), but the show must go on! That's why they've created "Game Stack Live" and will be streaming some of their planned panels over the Internet.

#GDC20 was postponed, but our sessions couldn’t be held back. Get ready for #GameStackLive, streaming live March 17—March 18. Get more info today: https://t.co/nPIfIKDphk pic.twitter.com/WSIMbjQN80 — Microsoft Game Stack (@MSFTGameStack) March 9, 2020

GDC to Stream Planned Talks on Twitch

A number of GDC presenters have gotten together and provided the conference with videos of their planned talks. This session content will be streamed on twitch.tv/GDC from March 16–20, 2020, between the hours of 12:00 PM–8:00 PM Eastern (that's 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific).

Additionally, The Independent Games Festival (IFG) and Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) will take place on the same Twitch channel starting at 8:00 PM Eastern/5:00 PM Pacific on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

Google For Games Developer Summit Revives Planned GDC Talks

Google has announced that they are packaging all of their planned GDC content into their own digital event called the Google For Games Developer Summit.

This summit will kick off on March 23, 2020, at 12:00 PM Eastern (9:00 AM Pacific) with a broadcasted keynote address, after which we'll get to see more than 10 hours of content.

You can sign up to stay informed about the event at g.co/gamedevsummit.

After the disappointing cancellation of GDC, the conference's organizers have cooked up a solution: GDC Summer.

GDC Summer 2020 will feature a mix of developer talks, roundtable conversations, microtalks, and fireside chats. Networking opportunities and other events will also be available.

GDC Summer 2020 is scheduled to take place from August 5–6, 2020, in San Francisco.

The GDC Relief Bundle has arrived! You have until April 3, 2020, to pick up over a hundred games (and some neat game dev tools, too) for whatever price you'd like to pay. The proceeds will go towards benefitting indie game devs who were stuck with non-refundable travel and hotel costs.

gamedev.world Raises Over $80,000 for GDC relief

The GDC Relief Fundraiser tally is in: gracious gamers have come together to donate $81,636.13 for game developers in need. The funds will go towards helping out game devs cover nonrefundable travel and lodging costs following the convention's cancellation.

GDC Summer Registration is Open

Registration for the all-digital special event GDC Summer is now open according to a press release. You can learn more about it in this interview with GDC General Manager Katie Stern.

The GDC Relief Fund has been a success, so much so that the fund has found itself with much more sponsorship than it needed. As such, the organizers have created Elevate 2020, a 15-week incubator course for indie devs that will provide development guidance, mentorship, and more to indie devs in need.

⇑ Back to Top

E3 Coronavirus Cancellations

E3 2020 has been under threat from the coronavirus, and it has unfortunately been canceled in light of the possible danger. However, things aren't as grim as one might think — we're still going to get some kind of show this year, and the ESA says that E3 2021 is still very much on.

E3 2020 is 'On Track' While ESA Monitors Coronavirus Gaming Situation

Vice's Patrick Klepek shared a statement from the ESA, the organization behind E3. According to them, the show is still very much on, although they are keeping an eye on how things are progressing with the coronavirus.

"Everyone is watching the situation very closely. We will continue to be vigilant, as our first priority is the helath, wellness[,] and safety of all of our exhibitors and attendees. Given what we know at this time, we are moving ahead full speed with E3 2020 planning. Exhibit and registration sales are on track for an exciting show in June."

E3 2020 is Still On, but ESA Urges Caution

The ESA has released an update on the coronavirus gaming situation. The city of Los Angeles — home to the convention and many other such events — has issued a state of emergency due to the ongoing crisis.

Consequently, E3 will be posting reminders throughout the show floor reminding attendees of the following items:

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Cover your cough by flexing your elbow or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Avoid touching your face.

Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.

Avoid handshaking or cheek-kissing as greetings – use the elbow or fist bump.

Furthermore, the LA Convention Center is stepping up their cleaning plans along with their response to any medical situations, including:

Increasing the number of hand sanitizing stations throughout the facility.

Increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.

Enhancing their ability to address any attendees who become ill while on site.

LAX Airport is taking similar steps to ensure cleanliness and traveler safety. More details about E3 2020 will follow in the future.

After so many other gaming conventions have fallen like dominoes, E3 2020 has finally tipped over the edge. E3 2020's physical show is canceled.

That's pretty rough for gamers and the gaming industry professionals alike, although it's not all bad news — the ESA is working on making an all-digital show for this year.

"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, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles." [...] "We are also exploring options with our members to coordinate an online experience to showcase industry announcements and news in June 2020. Updates will be shared on E3expo.com."

Microsoft and Ubisoft have both independently announced that they will be running all-digital shows in place of their usual E3 conferences this year.

While the news of their digital shows is surely welcome, it's unclear as to whether or not these will be taking place under E3 2020's umbrella or if they'll be some kind of standalone events.

Warner Bros. Games Planned on Doing First-Ever E3 Conference

If there was a measure of what makes a "big" game developer, it is surely whether or not they have their own E3 conference. Warner Bros. Games was about to take things to the next level at E3 2020, but the coronavirus gaming problems have put those plans in Jeopardy.

Kotaku's Jason Schreier notes that they had planned to talk about a new Harry Potter game, a new Batman game, and an unspecified new title from Rocksteady. It's unclear what will happen to the show now.

More news from me: Warner Bros. Games was planning to do an E3 press conference this year for the first time, to talk about Batman, Harry Potter, and Rocksteady's game among others. Remains to be seen what they'll do now https://t.co/OIry5zgB6p — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) March 11, 2020

Devolver Digital Debuts Devolver Direct

Devolver Digital has always had interesting E3 presentations. They certainly show some of my favorite stuff every year, and worry not: the show must go on.

The week of E3 has always been a big part of what we do and are genuinely bummed about the cancelation of the event itself.



Lots to juggle but right now we plan on having a livestream Devolver Direct / press conference and possibly more. pic.twitter.com/nGDAEsIzUs — Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) March 11, 2020

Square Enix 'Exploring Other Options' for E3 Presentation

Square Enix has announced that, much like other major game publishers, they will be exploring options for showing off their planned E3 content to the world.

An important E3 2020 update from us pic.twitter.com/Ma23eWfHTM — Square Enix (@SquareEnix) March 12, 2020

Those of you were were looking forward to #BE3 are going to be disappointed: Bethesda's Pete Hines has announced that they won't be running a digital showcase in June around the time that E3 2020 was supposed to take place. Instead, there will be more information released about the upcoming games "in the coming months."

IGN Hosting 'Summer of Gaming' Event

IGN will be hosting a "Summer of Gaming" event around the time that E3 2020 was supposed to be going on according to a press release. IGN will be working with the following partners and others:

2K

Amazon

Bandai Namco

Devolver Digital

Google

SEGA

Square Enix

THQ Nordic

Twitter

The event will be available on all of their social media channels. Look forward for more details in the coming weeks.

Online E3 2020 Canceled

The Online E3 2020 experience has been canceled. Here's a statement from the ESA given to PC Gamer:

"Given the disruption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be presenting an online E3 2020 event in June. Instead, we will be working with exhibitors to promote and showcase individual company announcements, including on www.E3expo.com, in the coming months," the rep said. "We look forward to bringing our industry and community together in 2021 to present a reimagined E3 that will highlight new offerings and thrill our audiences."

Individual presentations are still in the works.

Overwatch League Coronavirus Cancellations

This was the first year that the Overwatch League had "Homestand" games where each team would get a chance to play in their home city. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has put a damper on many of these events.

In late January 2020, the Shanghai Dragons and the Guangzhou Charge announced that they were temporarily relocating their teams to South Korea for the safety of their players. Additionally, the planned Shanghai Dragons Homestand game for February 2020 was canceled.

Overwatch League South Korean Matches & Seoul Dynasty Homestand Games Canceled

The Overwatch League put out a tweet announcing the cancellation of another block of events planned for Asia, this time in South Korea.

"In order to protect the health & safety of our players, fans, & staff, we are canceling plans to host #OWL2020 matches in South Korea in Weeks 5, 6, and 7, including the

@SeoulDynasty home event," the tweet stated. "We’ll share more info about when and where matches will take place at a later."

Paris Eternal Homestand Games Canceled

The Paris Eternal's home arena has announced that they are canceling their planned homestand games later this year.

⚠️ I N F O ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/rOkgQ6lOay — ZenithParis (@Zenith_Paris) March 10, 2020

It should be noted that the London Spitfire host their games just over the channel. Considering the geography, they may end up making the same decision themselves.

Overwatch League Cancels Events for March and April 2020

The Overwatch League has made the decision to cancel all events for March 2020 and April 2020, citing the coronavirus gaming crisis as the reason.

While this is certainly not the best news for the first year featuring worldwide travel of teams, the league is putting player and audience safety above all else. They'll be working to ensure that all scheduled matches are played "when it's safe and logistically feasible."

Overwatch League Matches Move Online

Following the cancellation of the Overwatch League matches for March and April 2020, the league has announced that they will be moving their matches to an online format. This new format is expected to begin on March 21, 2020.

League of Legends Coronavirus Cancellations

League of Legends esports events are also being affected by COVID-19.

The second week of the League of Legends Pro League was suspended, originally scheduled for February 12–14, 2020. That suspension has reportedly been extended until at least April 2020.

League of Legends Japan League (LJL) Closed to the Public

The League of Legends Japan League (LJL) had events planned for March 1, 2020, but those events are now closed to the public due to the coronavirus gaming crisis as reported by The Esports Observer.

League of Legends MSI 2020 on Hold

In addition to the LPL postponement, the MSI (Mid-Season Invitational) 2020 event has been put on hold.

"I know many of you are waiting for the details of the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational — and we are eager to share them," read a statement from Riot's Global Head of Esports relayed via Reuters. "However, as countries around the world respond to COVID-10, aka the Corona-virus, we’ve had to adjust our plans and delay announcing the timing and location of MSI 2020. While we remain committed to making the event happen, the health and safety of [players] and fans comes first and foremost, with the integrity of the competition a close second."

League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Reportedly Goes on Indefinite Hiatus

The LCK is currently wrapping up Round 1, and the fate of Round 2 is uncertain. According to Inven Global, Riot is indefinitely postponing Round 2 (and all associated events) while the monitor the coronavirus gaming situation.

2020 LEC Spring Finals Moved to LEC Studio in Berlin

A finals series for League of Legends esports is being moved from Budapest to Berlin according to a news post from the esports organization.

"After carefully assessing the situation, we believe that holding the event in a smaller setting and a more controlled environment is the right call. While we currently plan to host a live audience in the Berlin studio, we will continue to monitor the situation and work with local health officials to ensure the safety of players and fans, and will revisit this decision if necessary. "

Riot Moves MSI to July

Riot Games have announced that the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (which was previously postponed) has been moved to July, ESPN reports.

"After discussing with our leagues and other stakeholders, we've made the decision to move our annual mid-year global tournament event from May to July this year," said Riot Games' Global Head of League of Legends Esports John Needham. "Shifting the tournament to the summer offers the best chance to see travel restrictions lifted, allowing teams from leagues around the world to travel and compete safely."

Riot Cancels LoL Mid-Season Invitational

Riot Games has canceled the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational for the year. The Esports Observer reports that Riot will be shifting its focus to the 2020 Woirld Championships.

Other Coronavirus Gaming Event and Convention Cancellations

Other events aside from big conventions and esports tournaments are also being affected by the coronavirus gaming crisis.

It should be mentioned that numerous small events in China, Japan, and South Korea are being delayed or entirely shut down due to the coronavirus gaming crisis; this is far from an exhaustive list.

The 2020 Taipei Game Show was supposed to run from February 6–9, 2020. Unfortunately, this event was scheduled for a time when the coronavirus was just starting to spread in China. The event has been subsequently postponed.

Nioh 2 Store Experience Events in Japan canceled

Niko Partners Senior Analyst Daniel Ahmad reported that some planned "store experience" events for Nioh 2 have been canceled.

PUBG Global Series (PGS) Berlin Korea Qualifier Changed to Online Competition

The PUBG Global Series (PGS) Berlin Korea Qualifier has been changed to an online competition as reported by The Esports Observer. All teams will remain indoors to participate, and those without a place to play from will move to the AfreecaTV internet bar. The organizer will be sending a referee to observe each team.

The Berlin Korea Qualifiers run from February 27, 2020–March 14, 2020, with the top four teams qualifying for PSG Berlin.

Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Premiere Delayed in China & Japan

DualShockers reports that the Chinese premiere of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is delaying its release. It originally intended to debut on Friday, February 28, 2020, in the country. The film has already been released in other territories.

Update: The Japanese premiere has also been delayed.

Bandai Namco Canceling Events through March 14, 2020

Bandai Namco Entertainment has put out an announcement in Japanese regarding the coronavirus gaming crisis. A submission on the /r/Games subreddit features a translation done by /u/ZaHiro86:

"Bandai Namco is [canceling] multiple events through March 14th due to worries over the Wuhan Corona Virus. This includes Tekken Pro Championship which, while not [canceled], is going to be stream only."

Intel Extreme Masters Katowice Bans Audience at the Last Minute, Refunds Tickets

There were plans to hold a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports event at IEM Katowice in Poland. Unfortunately, Gouverneur of Silesian Jarosław Wieczorek has removed the ESL's approval to hold a public event as reported by HLTV.

The tournament is going on as planned with the players and production staff, but the audience will not be allowed inside the venue. The ESL states that tickets will be fully refunded.

Square Enix Cancels Final Fantasy XIV and NieR Concerts in Tokyo

Square Enix has canceled all performances in Tokyo for a pair of concerts they had planned. A NieR show was going to be taking place from March 28–29, 2020, and a Final Fantasy XIV show was to take place on April 14–15, 2020.

EVE Fanfest 2020 Plays It Safe and Cancels Convention

The biggest worldwide gathering of EVE Online players won't be taking place this year. CCP Games "[feels] absolutely compelled to follow the most responsible course of action" even though the show wasn't planned to take place until early April 2020.

"We realize that the situation a month from now could be very different, but the way events are developing both globally and in Iceland’s neighboring countries, an in-depth and serious review has made it clear that this is a necessary step to take," stated the article on the cancellation of EVE Fanfest 2020.

CAPCOM Pro Tour Cancels Some Events

CAPCOM Fighters has announced the cancellation of several events for the CAPCOM Pro Tour. The following events are canceled:

Brussels Challenge 2020

Norcal Regionals 2020

April Annihilation 2020

Points that would have been awarded from these events are being removed from the pool. All other events will continue as planned.

NVIDIA GTC 2020 Changed to Online-Only Event, Refunds Offered

NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference was intended to take place at the San Jose Convention center from March 22–26, 2020. Now, Nvidia has announced that they are shifting this to an online-only event.

Refunds will be offered to those who have registered for a pass to GTC 2020. Nvidia will also plans to schedule availability with their researchers, engineers, and solution architects to answer any technical questions that attendees may have had.

Tokyo TEKKEN Masters Tournament Postponed

Bandai Namco has announced that they are postponing the Tokyo TEKKEN Masters Tournament via a press release.

Stemming from a position of caution and in an effort to safeguard the health and safety of competitors, event staff, and live tournament audience members from possible exposure to Coronavirus (COVID-19); BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. has made the difficult decision to postpone its Tokyo TEKKEN Masters Tournament to a later date in 2020.

Notably, this was supposed to be the first major event of the 2020 TEKKEN World Tour.

'No Plans' To Cancel EVO 2020

Fighting game fans don't have anything to worry about when it comes to the coronavirus gaming crisis — at least for now. EVO is very much still on.

"There are no plans to cancel or postpone Evo 2020," read a tweet from EVO President Joey Cuellar. "See you in Vegas! #Evo2020"

Google I/O Event at Shoreline Amphitheatre Canceled, Full Refunds Being Issued

Android Police reports that a planned Google I/P event near the company's headquarters is being canceled. Here is a portion of Google's statement regarding refunds and next year's event:

"All guests who have purchased tickets to I/O 2020 will receive a full refund by March 13, 2020. If you don't see the credit on your statement by then, please reach out to [email protected]. Guests who have registered for I/O 2020 will not need to enter next year's drawing and will be automatically granted the option of purchasing an I/O 2021 ticket."

Google is "[exploring] other ways" to evolve the show, and their statement implies that they may be doing some kind of digital presentation to make up for the lack of this year's show.

Ontario's Student Game Designers Lose Out on Showcase

LevelUpTO is an organization that showcases student gaming talent in Canada. Unfortunately, they've decided to halt an upcoming event.

"We deeply regret to inform everyone that due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 Level Up Showcase 2020 has been cancelled," stated a tweet from the organization. "We sincerely apologize to all involved, this is disappointing news for those of us organizing, schools and students alike. We thank you for your support!"

Emerald City Comic Con Still Happening, But Big Names are Pulling Out

Update: Emerald City Comic Con is now postponed until Summer 2020.

Emerald City Comic Con is expected to be taking place in Seattle on March 12–15, 2020. The organizers have said that the show is still going on as planned, but they will be suspending their "no refunds" policy for anyone who feels uncomfortable about going to this year's show. More information will be made available via the convention's official website.

Notably, their announcement about the temporary change in refund policy also takes care to mention that the show could very well still be canceled depending on how things are on the ground in Seattle:

"We are commiמּed to following the enhanced cleaning guidelines, precautions and procedures that we recently deployed at our PAX East event in Boston and C2E2 in Chicago. We also insist that all fans, guests and exhibitors adhere to good sense and all protocols as suggested by the CDC. We are fully prepared to adjust our plans as the situation in and around Seaמּle develops. We are following – and will remain in compliance with – all city, state and federal guidelines. If the direction from federal, state or local official public health authorities does change between now and the show, we will adhere to that guidance, act upon it immediately, and update you."

Polygon has noted several big names have already dropped out of this year's show:

DC Comics

Dark Horse Comics

Del Rey Books

Notably, Dark Horse comics make their fair share of graphic novels and similar media based on gaming properties. A running list of other ECCC cancellations is also available.

Additionally, Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan has issued a Proclamation of Civil Emergency in the city.

Prague's Unreal Fest Europe Cancels This Year's Show

Unreal Fest Europe has canceled this year's show, though the showrunners have said that 2021's event is still going to be going on. GamesIndustry.biz reported on the statement from Epic Games:

Update: Here at Epic, we were excited about hosting Unreal Fest Europe 2020 in Prague. Due to uncertainty around health concerns and travel, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year's event.



We are working with this year’s speakers to bring select presentations to other conferences and virtual events, so stay tuned to our channels for more information. We are also making plans for Unreal Fest Europe 2021 and look forward to sharing details at a later date.

First gamescom 2020 Exhibitors Announced

Despite the coronavirus gaming crisis causing cancellations all over the world, gamescom 2020 have announced its first batch of exhibitors.

Big names like Microsoft and Nintendo are going, but Sony is notably absent. A number of game developers and tech companies are also coming to this year's show.

Rocket League Season 9 World Championship Canceled in Texas

Rocket League esports fans will miss out on one of the game's biggest events. The Rocket League Season 9 World Championship has been canceled in Texas.

Anyone who has purchased tickets or parking passes should receive an automatic refund. If you don't, you can get in touch with ETIX to get your refund sorted.

The remainder of Season 9 will play out as scheduled, although the weekly broadcasts for RLCS and the Rival Series are going to be broadcast "completely online".

Minecraft Festival 2020 Postponed, Minecraft Live Still On

Mojang has made what is perhaps one of the most aggressive moves in protecting their fans: they're postponing the scheduled Minecraft Festival all the way in September.

The team at Mojang can't say whether or not the coronavirus gaming problems will be solved by then, but they note that it takes a lot of preparation to organize such a massive event. Due to the uncertainty of the virus' impact on the world, they're making the decision to postpone now.

On the upside, Minecraft Live is still going to happen over the Internet. More details about dates & times along with other announcements will be coming soon.

2020 Pokemon Europe International Championships Canned, Other Events May Follow

The Pokemon Company has announced that the 2020 Pokemon Europe International Championships have been canceled.

"The 2020 Pokémon Europe International Championships have been canceled out of an abundance of caution and pursuant to the current recommendations set forth by public health officials," read a portion of the statement from the company.

Furthermore, they caution that other events may also be canceled in the near future.

TwitchCon Amsterdam is Off

TwitchCon has put out a tweet announcing the cancellation of their European convention.

Information about refunds will be sent out to attendees.

altGDC Moves to Online-Only Event

Indie-focused event altGDC has its fate somewhat intertwined with GDC (as you can tell from the name). The postponement of GDC 2020 has caused them to reevaluate their plans.

Here are the changes that are coming according to an announcement on their homepage:

The altGDC talk track is going to be streamed on Twitch, but will not have a physical presence for non-speakers. For speakers who will still be in San Francisco, we’ll be providing a semi-professional video recording studio you can use and hang out in.

The altGDC hallway track will be a mixture of Discord chat channels, Discord voice channels, and the Twitch chat. We’re going to find ways to make it feel as close to in-person as possible, including having speaker drop-ins and organizing special virtual events. We’ll also share information about altGDC watch parties as we hear of them.

The altGDC party track will happen in the evenings with all the parties we can find or throw, and we’ll be sending out more details as they emerge.

Hearthstone Esports Moves Los Angeles Masters Tour Online

Blizzard has announced that a Los Angeles Hearthstone event is being moved entirely online.

"Upon further review of the coronavirus situation given the broad international nature of our event, with invitees from more than 40 different countries, we have made the decision to hold Masters Tour Los Angeles entirely online," read a statement on the game's official website. "After initially relocating from Indonesia, we were excited to host the Masters Tour in Los Angeles, but the safety and well-being of our community will always take precedence over hosting a live event."

Reimbursements of up to $1,500 will be offered to players who have qualified for the tournament and already booked their travel.

Emerald City Comic-Con is Now Postponed

Emerald City Comic-Con previously announced that the show would go on, but they have since indicated that they are going to be postponing the show while Seattle handles the coronavirus gaming crisis.

"We have been closely monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 virus in Seattle, and, after many hours of conversation internally and consultation with local government officials and the tourism bureau, we have decided to move next week’s Emerald City Comic Con to Summer 2020 with date and detail announcement forthcoming," read a statement on the convention's website. "We did everything that we could to run the event as planned, but ultimately, we are following the guidance of the local public health officials indicating that conventions should now be postponed."

Refunds will be automatically issued to all fans within 30 days.

Final Kombat 2020 Kancels Live Audience Attendance

A last-minute announcement from NetherRealm Studios has stated that Mortal Kombat tournament called Final Kombat 2020 will not have an audience.

Refunds will be issued to fans who purchased General Admission and Last Chance Qualifier tickets. Fans impacted due to travel costs can reach out to [email protected].

SXSW 2020 Cancels Show with One Week Left

CNET is reporting that SXSW 2020 has been canceled. The event's website has not yet been updated with information on the cancellation.

It's pretty big to see SXSW canceled in terms of the sheer scale of the show. Last year's event brought in well over 417,000 attendees.

Unfortunately, the cancellation of this year's show also axes two pretty cool gaming panels:

Convergence Keynote: Reggie Fils-Aimé The Next Level: How Video Games Help You Succeed! Today, video games are the largest force in entertainment … bigger than movies … bigger than music … bigger than television. But video games are more than just entertainment. Playing games can help you acquire and sharpen a wide range of skills and abilities that drive success in all areas of life. Especially in your job and career. Reggie Fils-Aimé is the retired President and Chief Operating Officer for Nintendo of America Inc. and is revered in the gaming industry by business leaders and fans alike. He is currently Leader in Residence at Cornell University’s Dyson Undergraduate Business School and Managing Partner for Brentwood Growth Partners. Join this informative talk to learn which games to play and the personal development areas to focus on. Take yourself to the next level!

Gotta Go Fast: The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Panel Sonic the Hedgehog is back at SXSW! Join special guests from SEGA and Sonic Team as they talk about the latest for the blue blur and his next steps for 2020 and beyond. There’s almost always a special announcement or two to be had, so be sure to stay tuned!

EA Esports Events Mix Cancellations and Postponements (But Some Are Still Happening)

A number of EA's competitive events have been canceled, but some will still be going on.

Canceled events:

EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series FUT Champions Cup Stage V | Bucharest | April 3 - 5 | Cancelled PlayStation Licensed Qualifying Event | May 2 - 3 | Cancelled

EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series

Postponed events:

Apex Legends Global Series Major | Arlington | March 13-15 | Postponed

Global Series EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series CONMEBOL eLibertadores Online & Live Event | Postponed



You can read more about this in the news post on EA's website.

Sonic the Hedgehog Panels Coming April 2020

There was supposed to be a Sonic the Hedgehog panel at SXSW, one of many conventions that was unfortunately canceled. Now, Sonic's official Twitter account has announced that this content will be somehow delivered to fans in April 2020.

We're sad to see SXSW cancel, but we respect the call and we're working hard to bring our Sonic Panel content to you all in a new format this April! — Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) March 7, 2020

Pixels Camp Pushes Back Convention to November 2020

Portuguese tech convention Pixels Camp has pushed their planned convention back pretty far into the future. It's been a challenge, but various vendors and planned panelists have come together to help them make it happen.

"This was a difficult decision, but we hope you understand that it was the responsible one, not only in terms of public health prevention and security but also when it comes to making sure everyone’s interests and expectations are protected," Pixel Camp's Celso Martinho stated in a blog post.

"We will still have Pixels Camp this year, after all."

Niantic Postpones Pokemon Go 'Safari Zone' St. Louis Event

Pokemon Go is a game that can quite literally bring people together, and that's something that's not a good idea during the coronavirus gaming crisis.

As such, Niantic has decided to postpone the planned "Safari Zone" event that was to take place in St. Louis. Ticket refunds can be requested by fans who had planned to attend through in-app support.

Those who do not request a refund, however, will be able to keep their tickets for a future event. Niantic is even adding a pretty big incentive: those who keep their tickets will have access to Safari Zone encounters and Special Research anywhere in the world for the time the event was originally suppoed to happen.

Game Professional Event 'Game Connection America 2020' Cancels Live Show, Pushes Ad-Hoc Virtual Meetings

Game Connection America 2020 is an event reserved largely for gaming industry professionals and it looked like it was going to be happen in spite of the coronavirus gaming crisis. Unfortunately, the showrunners have decided to heed the advice of health officials and cancel their show as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

Still, they'll be making use of "Let's Meet" to allow attendees to create virtual locations for meetings.

"Let's Meet will stay open for all five days as planned (March 16-20). We encourage those of our participants who will not be in San Francisco to use the 'Custom Virtual Location' to schedule meetings on Let's Meet. For those who will be in San Francisco please use the 'Custom Location' to re-schedule your meetings at the location that suits your business partners and yourself the best."

Funko Creates Virtual Convention to Make Up for Emerald City Comic Con

Funko is creating a "virtual convention" for people who were going to Emerald City Comic Con in the hopes of scoring some sweet new vinyl statuettes.

While Funko sells hundreds and hundreds of these figures on store shelves, some are only available during special, in-person events. As that would be a bit silly in the midst of the coronavirus gaming crisis, Funko was stuck with stock that they couldn't move without getting creative.

Now, Nintendo Wire reports that the company will be hosting a three-day virtual convention/ If you want to try to get some limited-edition Funko Pops, you won't want to miss it.

CMON Expo Tables Their Convention

CMON Expo focuses on tabletop and miniature gaming. Unfortunately, they've decided to respond to the coronavirus gaming crisis by canceling their 2020 convention.

CMON Expo is the few days each year that our diehard fans can come to Atlanta to meet, discuss, play CMON all weekend long. It lets our fans take a glimpse into all the exciting projects we’ve been working on and spend the entire weekend with us. This kind of celebration is part of our DNA since the company first started. This year, we had a very difficult decision to make. The Coronavirus pandemic is spreading at an alarming rate, and most governments are asking their citizens to refrain from big public gatherings. With a heavy heart, CMON has decided, for the safety of our employees, our guests and our attendees, to cancel CMON Expo 2020. We look forward to see you again soon. In the meantime stay safe and happy gaming!

HTC Moves Developer Conference to VR

In a rather appropriate move, the maker of the HTC Vive is moving an upcoming conference completely to VR as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. Billing it as "the world's first fully virtual industry conference in VR", the company will be hosting the conference via Engage.

#V2EC: As industry events are being cancelled WW, we’ll hold the world’s first fully #virtual industry #conference in #VR! 3/19 via #Engage. Access in 6DoF VR or live stream on 🖥💻📱. Top speakers+amazing conf experience!🦄 Zero carbon🌏, zero travel🛫& no 😷 needed! @htcvive pic.twitter.com/OqLOVB6QwJ — Alvin Wang Graylin (汪丛青) (@AGraylin) March 6, 2020

CES Asia 2020 Postponed

CES Asia 2020 has been postponed. Although the event is still three months out, the organizers are showing an abundance of caution as reported by Niko Partners Senior Analyst Daniel "ZhugeEX" Ahmad.

CES Asia 2020, which was to be held in Shanghai between June 10-12 has been postponed due to the impact of COVID-19.



Worth noting that this event is 3 months out but has already been postponed. https://t.co/5IbLAxsjpF pic.twitter.com/yVfwX15ebh — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 9, 2020

Japanese Indie Gaming Conference 'BitSummit The 8th Bit' Canceled

BitSummit's "The 8th Bit" is arguably one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) shows in Japan dedicated to indie gaming. Unfortunately, this year's show — originally scheduled for May 9–10, 2020, is canceled.

Important information concerning BitSummit The 8th Bit pic.twitter.com/QTWyuvUcn1 — BitSummit 🐙 May 9 -10 (@BitSummit) March 11, 2020

BitSummit has stated that they are now focusing their efforts on putting together next year's show.

Cocos Game Developer Connect Announced for March 18, 2020

In light of so many gaming conventions being canceled, a number of digital events are springing up in their place. Cocos Game Developer Connect will be one such show according to a press release.

This digital conference will be held on March 18, 2020. You can find out more at the official announcement.

Valve and ESL Los Angeles Reportedly Completely Canceled

Esports consultant and insider Rod "Slasher" Breslau has reported that the DotA 2 Los Angeles Major is going to be completely canceled, owing in part to the President Trump's European travel suspension.

To be clear, the event is not going to go on with just production staff and the players — the event will not be played at all. It is not yet clear if this Major will be rescheduled at a future date.

Update: Valve and ESL have confirmed to teams and casters that the Dota 2 Los Angeles Major will be fully cancelled, sources tell me https://t.co/BIKVkOEdE8 — Rod 'I don't sign NDAs or embargoes' Breslau (@Slasher) March 12, 2020

CEO Dreamland Refunds Force CEO to Ask for Donations

Fighting game event CEO Dreamland has been canceled, much like many other events during the coronavirus gaming crisis. However, this particular story has a major downside for the showrunner.

Unlike the larger corporate events with millions or billions in the bank, CEO Dreamland is a smaller event run for a dedicated community. As such, it will be difficult (if not impossible) to recoup these costs without the expected attendees.

In Eleven years of event hosting I've never had to do this.



Since everything for #CEODreamland was ordered to make the event great already before a ton of COVID-19 refunds started to come in.



We've set up https://t.co/BABW0rWufy to help support CEO this year if you wish to. — Alex Jebailey smash.gg/ceodreamland (@Jebailey) March 12, 2020

BAFTA Games Awards Shifts to Livestream

The BAFTA Games Awards show is shifting from a red carpet experience to an online livestream. Originally planned for April 2, 2020, the showrunners have decided to keep the public from gathering together.

"The health and wellbeing of our guests and our staff remain our top priority, so there will be no live audience and we are now in the process of informing all our nominees, guests, partners and suppliers of the change," the organization said in a statement. "The new format will include the announcement of the Games Awards winners and we look forward to sharing more updates in the coming weeks."

Games London Events Preparing for the Worst

Games London's events aren't yet canceled, but the organizers are getting ready nonetheless. Alternative planning is being put in place just in case something goes sideways.

Here are their plans thus far:

The Games Finance Market is proceeding, with a backup plan to switch to virtual meetings if public health advice changes

We’re adding a robust online meeting with video chat functionality to the Business Hub – so you can sign up and have meetings without leaving home

Paid tickets will be refunded if physical events are canceled

gamesweekberlin Postponed Due to Berlin's Health Regulations

gamesweekberlin has pushed back its planned events due to regulations enacted by the Berlin health administration.

Events are now expected to take place from October 29–30, 2020. Furthermore, the A MAZE. / Berlin Festival of A RT X will be taking place on July 22–25, 2020.

Smash World Tour Cancels March and April 2020 Events

"There will be no PLATINUM or GOLD events in the moths of March and April," read a statement from the Smash World Tour.

POUND 2020 in Maryland has been canceled, and all Silver opt-in events for the Smash World Tour are now optional.

Smash World Tour statement regarding COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/poqyS2ccGo — Smash World Tour (@SmashWorldTour) March 12, 2020

Call of Duty League Shifts All CDL Events to Online-Only

The Call of Duty League is following the same plans implemented by other esports organizations and moving all of their 2020 live events to online-only experiences as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

Poland's Pixel Heaven 2020 Pushed Back to October 2020

Pixel Heaven 2020 has been moved back thanks to the coronavirus gaming troubles. The new dates for the event will be October 2–4, 2020, taking place at the MINSKA 65 Halls in Warsaw, Poland.

The date change does not affect any standing agreements like event bookings or media partnerships.

EGX REZZED 2020 Postponed

EGX REZZED 2020 will be moved to sometime in the Summer due to the coronavirus gaming crisis. The showrunners have not yet announced a new date.

Any existing tickets will be honored. However, those of you who can't attend the event when the new dates have been revealed can contact customer support as noted in the announcement.

Poland's Digital Dragons 2020 Conference Also Postponed

The "established formula" of the Digital Dragons 2020 conference in Poland is going to remain the same, but the dates are not.

Currently, Early Bird ticket prices will remain valid until June 30, 2020 according to the announcement. Beyond that, all purchased tickets will be valid for the new conference date of September 14–15, 2020. Refunds will be available upon request.

Insomnia Gaming Festival 'Insomnia66' Canceled

Insomnia66 is no more. The gaming festival planned for April 10–13, 2020, at the NEC in Birmingham, England has been completely canceled.

However, this particular festival happens more than once a year and the next one is still on. Insomnia67 is planned to happen on August 28–31, 2020.

An important update about Insomnia66, ticket holders will receive an email from us soon via the email they used to book their tickets. pic.twitter.com/WF7xzHRBEB — Insomnia Gaming Fest (@IGFestUK) March 13, 2020

gamescom Still Isn't Canceled, But Plans Are in Place Anyway

gamescom is still confident that they will be able to get this year's show off of the ground. However, the coronavirus gaming crisis is an unpredictable situation and the showrunners are prepared for the situation.

As part of a recent statement, they noted that refunds will be made available if needed.

"Should gamescom be postponed or [canceled] by Koelnmesse, all ticket purchasers of the the official ticket shop will be reimbursed for the already paid visitor tickets. Voucher codes lose their validity and will be made available again for new events."

A short update on the current situation:

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nZH3qMMVvj — gamescom (@gamescom) March 16, 2020

DOTA 2 Cancels 4th Minor and Major Seasons

Valve has announced that they'll be canceling the 4th Minor and Major tournaments of the DPC season to help keep everyone safe.

After careful consideration of the current state and trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the health risk that this presents to competitors, staff and fans alike, we have made the difficult decision to cancel to the 4th minor and major tournaments of the DPC season. — DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) March 15, 2020

Media Indie Exchange's 'MIX Showcase' Moves to Twitch

The Media Indie Exchange had an event planned, but they've since canceled any live participation due to the coronavirus gaming troubles around the world.

Here is MIX's statement in on the matter:

Our team worked diligently and for long hours in efforts to keep tomorrow's Monday evening event in San Francisco moving forward.

The local and global landscape with COVID-19 has continued to change rapidly. After close consultation with the community our partners, and devs attending, we have determined late last week that tomorrow night's MIX Showcase event will not be able to move forward. While working on our Monday evening event, we've been developing online plans in parallel for our multi-day MIX Live Showcase hosted on Twitch. For all the great games that have been prepping games and demos for this week, this will provide an opportunity for folks to check them out. We'll have devs from many different regions joining the stream the first three days of next week. [...] The MIX Live Showcase will be tomorrow night, 8 pm to 10 pm Pacific, and Tuesday and Wednesday from noon to 4 pm.

National Videogame Museum Closes in Sheffield

The UK's National Videogame Museum has shuttered its doors indefinitely.

"We are immensely proud to run one of the most interactive museums in the country and we take great care over hygiene standards, but we owe a duty of care to our visitors and staff during the current Coronavirus outbreak," stated Ian Livingstone CBE, Chair of the BGI and NVM founder patron. "Before the Museum records its first case, the charity’s trustees have taken the difficult decision to temporarily close the National Videogame Museum to protect our community and our people. The National Videogame Museum is now under threat. As a new charity, we have no safety net of public funding to support us through the Coronavirus outbreak. We call on the government to help support at-risk organisations like ours now."

GamePlay Space Cancels March Playtesting

GamePlay Space has canceled a planned March 2020 playtesting event in Montreal, Canada. They expect to announce more on the matter soon.

Due to the ongoing developments with COVID-19, we have decided it is in the best interest of our community to cancel our Playtesting in March.



We'll have more to announce shortly, so stay tuned. https://t.co/3WpKYGX9xx — GamePlay Space (@GamePlaySpace) March 16, 2020

Nintendo New York Store Closes Indefinitely

Nintendo's New York City retail location is closing indefinitely due to the global health problems that everyone is dealing with.

All Play! Pokemon Events Canceled Until May 2020

Serebii reports that all sanctioned Play! Pokemon events — including Regional Championships — are canceled until May 14, 2020.

Serebii Update: All sanctioned Play! Pokémon events including Regional Championships and more globally are cancelled until May 14th 2020 https://t.co/gDbXkHSvkT pic.twitter.com/uBiWKvx3UR — Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) March 17, 2020

Minecraft Dungeons May Be Delayed

Minecraft Dungeons development could be slowed down as the developers shift to remote work. They may still be able to get the game out in April 2020, but the devs warn that the release date could possibly be pushed back.

As we’re working from home to do our part in protecting our community, our workflows will unfortunately be impacted. We’re working hard to deliver Minecraft Dungeons in April, but we’re also re-evaluating our timeline to make sure we bring you the best game possible. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/77964UwFpB — Minecraft Dungeons (@dungeonsgame) March 17, 2020

New Zealand Games Festival Postpones Until 2021

One of New Zealand's biggest gaming events has decided to push it back until next year. The New Zealand Games Festival is now postponed until April 19–25, 2021.

Kia ora



We've been working hard to make this year’s NZGF a true celebration of our games community! However, this week the NZ gov made announcements in response to COVID-19 that directly affect NZGF & our attendees.



We're announcing the postponement of NZGF to 2021.



👇Thread👇 pic.twitter.com/fNFHRsObxh — NZ Games Festival (@nzgamesfest) March 17, 2020

EVO 'Moving Forward' with 2020 Event

Fighting game competition EVO is "moving forward" with its 2020 event despite the Mandalay Bay currently being closed. The organization will continue to monitor the coronavirus gaming situation. in the meantime.

An important message from the Evo team... pic.twitter.com/jUuiQSIITz — EVO (@EVO) March 18, 2020

Three Pokemon Go Safari Zone Events Postponed

Upcoming Pokemon Go Safari Zone events in the following cities have been postponed:

Philadelphia, PA

St. Louis, MO

Liverpool, UK

Niantic is exploring alternate dates and will update the community once they've made a decision.

Roland-Garros eSeries Pushed Back Several Months

The Roland-Garros eSeries has been pushed back several months. You'll now be able to see French players from Team Vitality take on amateur players from September 20–October 4, 2020.

Paizo Goes Remote, Talks Shipping, and Eases Paizocon Concerns

Tabletop developer Paizo (the folks behind the Pathfinder TTRPG) have discussed three things in a recent e-mail. Kicking things off is the rather unsurprising announcement that they too are working remotely now.

Secondly, the company addressed concerns about shipping. Some tabletop games are manufactured in China and customers may be concerned about the coronavirus being transmitted through these shipments. However, they note that there is no evidence about it being transmitted in this fashion, so there probably isn't anything to worry about.

Finally, they addressed Paizocon. It's still on for now, but (as with many similar events) that could change depending on how things go.

The safety of our attendees and staff is of paramount importance, and we are working closely with our host hotel and monitoring local, state, and federal government guidelines on a daily basis. The Washington State government is currently prohibiting gatherings of 50 or more people, though the timeframe does not yet approach the announced dates for PaizoCon (May 22–25). If the gathering ban or other concerns suggest that we should cancel or postpone PaizoCon, we will inform the community as soon as we can.

They close by noting that local tabletop game stores are probably hurting right now and that you should consider shopping there if you can do so safely.

EGX Rezzed Sets New Dates

EGX Rezzed has set new dates for their UK convention. The new dates are July 2–4, 2020, at Tobacco Dock, London.

Existing ticket holders will be happy to hear that their tickets will remain valid. Anyone who can't make these new d ates can get a refund or transfer it to an EGX 2020 ticket. Dates for EGX 2020 will be announced next week.

ESL and DreamHack Detail Schedule Changes

While some gaming events are only delaying a few months, the ESL is being very cautious and moving their previously-scheduled Rio event all the way back to November 2020.

If everything with the coronavirus gaming crisis clears up in time, you'll be able to enjoy the ESL One Rio 2020 event from November 19–22, 2020.

The ESL and Dreamhack have also revised their 2020 schedule for Esports events according to a press release.

Here is the current state of esports from these two organizations as of March 23, 2020:

ESL

ESL One/DotA 2 Major Los Angeles - TBD

ESL Pro League CS:GO (Denver) - Format Change to Online play & broadcast

ESL One/CS:GO Major (Rio) - Rescheduled for November 2020

ESL One DotA 2 (Birmingham) - TBD

All other events in Q3 & Q4 2020 going on as planned

DreamHack

Dallas - Rescheduled to August 2020

Jönköping - Rescheduled DH S ummer Festival for August 2020

Jönköping Master Property - TBD

All other events in Q3 & Q4 2020 going on as planned

WizKids Cancels Public Events for the Next Six Months

WizKids has announced that they're canceling all of their events for the second and third quarters of 2020, although they leave open the option of going anyway if things clear up by then.

"We understand that things are changing rapidly all the time, and should it make sense and is safe to do so, we will consider attending events during the Q2-Q3 timeframe but with a smaller footprint than you are normally used to seeing from us," the company said in a statement. "If so, we will post when and where these events may be held."

Computex Trade Show Postponed to September

Taiwan's Computex trade show has been postponed for the second time in its history. The event has been moved from June 2020 to September 2020. The previous postponement was due to a similar situation with the 2003 SARS outbreak.

For the second time in history.



Taiwan’s #Computex trade show has been postponed due to #COVID19

From June to September.



This previously happened in 2003 due to #SARS — Tim Culpan & environs (@tculpan) March 24, 2020

Taipei Game Show Officially Called Off

The Taipei Game Show had originally been rescheduled for June 25–28, 2020. However, the coronavirus gaming crisis has continued to escalate, and the conference organizers have made the difficult decision to call off the show entirely.

【Taipei Game Show 2020 Cancellation Announcement】



Taipei Game Show 2020 was originally rescheduled on June 25 – 28. However, as the escalation of the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) continues, the organizing committee is now officially calling off Taipei Game Show 2020. pic.twitter.com/vz1ZXjxCmV — Taipei Game Show (@TaipeiGameShow) March 25, 2020

Warhammer Fest 2020 and Other Warhammer Events Canceled

Warhammer is a particularly vulnerable game when it comes to the coronavirus gaming situation; it requires players to be physically present in the same room and to touch actual objects. For those reasons (and others), a whole bunch of Warhammer events just got canceled. These events include:

Warhammer Fest 2020

All scheduled events at Warhammer World

All scheduled events at the Warhammer Citadel Cafe

The Warhammer New Hobbyist Expo has also been postponed. In the cases of canceled events, refunds should be on their way to customers soon.

Finally, many (if not most) Warhammer and Games Workshop Stores have been shuttered alongside other non-essential businesses where required.

Carcassonne and Pandemic Survival Tournament Seasons Suspended

All upcoming events for Carcassonne and Pandemic Survival have been postponed for 2020. The organizers plan to resume their normal season in 2021.

Orders for Regional Kits for Reign of Cthulu tournaments will be honored; those kits can be used for events in 2021 when normal tourney play resumes.

Game Market 2020 Preemptively Shuts Down This Year's Event

Osaka's Game Market 2020 was planned to take place on April 25–26, 2020. While there hasn't yet been any official orders to close, the organizers have decided that it would be cutting it too close to try to run an event this year and have consequently canceled it [Japanese]. Game Market will return in 2021.

Develop: Brighton 2020 Pushed Back to November

Brighton-based industry event Develop: Brighton 2020 has had its previously-scheduled July dates pushed back to November. The event will still take place at the Brighton Hilton Metropole on its new dates of November 2–4, 2020.

PaizoCon 2020 Canceled, Warehouse Shuttered

Tabletop publisher Paizo has made the decision to cancel PaizoCon 2020. Options for current badge holders include rolling it over to the following year and receiving a neat gift in exchange.

Additionally, Paizo is closing their warehouse due to a stay-at-home order in Washington State. The warehouse is planned to reopen once the order is lifted.

Summer Games Done Quick 2020 is being postponed to later in the year. Furthermore, the "Corona Relief Done Quick" charity event has been announced and will be taking place in April 2020.

Arc World Tour 2020 And Related Tournaments Canceled

Arc System Works has canceled the Arc World Tour 2020 according to a press release, ultimately resulting in the following tournament changes:

ARCREVO Japan 2020- Planned for July 18th, 2020. As stated above, this event is under discussion to be held as an independent event.

ARC WORLD TOUR 2020 Finals - This event was slated to take place in Los Angeles, CA. at the end of the year. As stated above, the plan is to hold an independent event within the same timeframe.

ARCREVO Korea 2020 and DAREDEVIL Events - Cancelled entirely.

Online Tournaments - We are planning to facilitate this event independent of the world tour.

ARC WORLD Tour Points（AWTP) - No AWTP will be rewarded at Premiere Tournaments, DAREDEVIL Events, or any online tournaments.

Combo Breaker 2020 is No More

Following government guidance, Combo Breaker 2020 is canceled. Refunds will be processed for all competitors and attendees starting on April 20, 2020.

Despite the cancellation, all attendees will receive a Combo Breaker Badge, a "No Coast, No Kings" lanyard, a 50-page commemorative magazine, and a COMBO BREAKER pin. These should be in your hands by Memorial Day Weekend.

Gamescom's Future is Still Shaky, as is devcom's

gamescom is still going forward with plans to have their show, but they'll be evaluating their options in mid-May to see whether or not the live portion will be canceled. Furthermore, the digital events surrounding gamescom 2020 will be "significantly expanded" in order to prepare for the possibility of cancellation.

Furthermore, devcom 2020 is still more or less going on as planned according to a press release. However, digital formats will also be expanded and they'll be getting plans in place in case the show has to be canceled.

QuakeCon 2020 Canceled During Franchise's 25th Anniversary

QuakeCon 2020 was all set to be a massive celebration of one of first-person shooting's finest franchises, but the event was understandably canceled. A digital offering will be made in its place.

2020 Pokemon Champion Series Canceled

Previously, only some Pokemon events have been canceled. Now, the 2020 North America International Championships and 2020 Pokemon World Championships have been entirely canceled. All sanctioned events are shut down until further notice.

USC Games Expo is Happening Digitally

The University of Southern California has reported that this year's event will be fully virtual and will be taking place on May 12, 2020. More than 90 games will be available on an interactive basis. You can register for this event at eventbrite.

Bandai Namco Cancels Multiple Tournaments

Bandai Namco is canceling its participation at several tournaments. Here are the cancellations:

TEKKEN World Tour 2020 TEKKEN Round Pro 9 Cape Town Showdown Headstomper UYU Ultimate: Taipei Combo Breaker Battle Arena Melbourne Thaiger Uppercut Fighting Games Challenge Kiungo Games

SOULCALIBUR World Tour 2020 Combo Breaker Battle Arena Melbourne



Additionally, the producer of Dragon Ball FighterZ has announced that they are holding back on any details about the World Tournament for that game as they're still trying to find a solution.

A message from Tomoko Hiroki, Producer of Dragon Ball FighterZ. #DBFZWT pic.twitter.com/0yIwYhtxE4 — BANDAI NAMCO ESPORTS (@BNEesports) April 2, 2020

eFootball.Pro Postpones League Matchdays

eFootball.Pro has postponed League Matchday 8 and League Matchday 9 in light of the current pandemic. They're working on figuring out alternate dates.

Fire Emblem EXPO II Canceled in Japan

The Fire Emblem EXPO II has been canceled in Japan. Originally scheduled for May 5 and 6, the organizers have made the understandable decision to call off this year's show. Details on refunds are available on the expo's website.

Slush 2020 is No More

The Slush 2020 event in Helsinki, Finland was originally set for November 2020. Now, GamesIndustry.biz reports that the event has been canceled. As is typical of these cancellations, the organizers are exploring alternate paths to providing event content to the world.

Nintendo Tokyo Store Closes Down

Nintendo has closed down their Tokyo Store, following suit with their New York City location. As Nintendo Wire reports, the closure is caused by a state of emergency in the country which has shuttered non-essential businesses.

The Japanese equivalent of the ESRB is temporarily closing down. CERO has to obey a month-long lockdown imposed by the Japanese government. During that time, they will be unable to meet game developers to rate their games.

Brazil Independent Game Festival Goes Virtual

The Brazil Independent Game Festival (or BIG Festival) is going fully online according to a press release. One of Latin America's biggest conferences will be taking place over the Internet on June 22–26, 2020.

In the meantime, you can look forward to BIG Festival 8th edition taking place on January 27–31, 2020. Read more about it on the official website.

Blizzard: 'Too Early' to Know if Blizzcon 2020 is Happening

Blizzard Entertainment has put out a news post stating that they're uncertain whether or not Blizzcon 2020 will actually be happening. They're not canceling it just yet, but they are taking the time to let fans know that the show is not 100% on, either.

Origins Game Fair Postponed to October

Origins Game Fair has been postponed to October for the same reason that pretty much everything else here is being canceled or postponed. That said, an online convention called Origins Online 2020 will be taking place from June 19–21 in its place.

Scotland's Resonate Total Gaming 2020 Canceled

One of Scotland's biggest gaming events has been canceled. Resonate Total Gaming 2020 was intended to take place on July 17–18, 2020, but the organizers have decided to cancel this year's show due to the ongoing pandemic. Furthermore, their venue is being used as a temporary medical facility in the near future.

Ticket holders will be contacted by the organizers within a week.

It's looking like gamescom 2020 may be canceled. Here's the machine-translated announcement from Germany's NTV:

+++ 16:40 major events remain prohibited until the end of August +++

Major events are to be prohibited until August 31 due to the corona pandemic - football games are also affected. The prime ministers of the federal states and Chancellor Merkel agreed on this principle ban at a switching conference on Wednesday, according to information from the German Press Agency. Specific regulations, such as the size of the events, should be made by the federal states.

gamescom 2020 is supposed to take place from August 25–29, so at the minimum it will have to be postponed. It may very well be canceled, however, depending on what adjustments the organizers will be able to make.

Sonic The Hedgehog SXSW Digital Panel Delayed

With the cancellation of SXSW, some panels ended up switching to an online-only debut. One such panel featured Sonic the Hedgehog, but that panel has now been delayed once again.

Hi everyone - we know delays are way past not cool. But with the world in its current state, and to keep our teams safe, we need to wait to show you our SXSW content until things have settled.



Thanks for your patience, and we'll let you know as soon as we have a date to share! — Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) April 15, 2020

The Indie MEGABOOTH will be going into hiberation in light of so many conventions shutting down. However, they will be hosting a sale on Steam in early May to showcase some indie games and put a little money in the bank for the future.

It's official: gamescom 2020 is canceled. Like many other such events, the organizers are working towards an exclusively-digital event to replace it. All paid tickets will be refunded.

PUBG Global Series Canceled, PUBG Continental Series Launches

PUBG Esports has canceled the PUBG Global Series, but they're launching the PUBG Continental Series in its place. Teams will be receiving money as follows:

The 21 teams that qualified for the now-canceled PGS Berlin will be given $20,000 each.

The top five PCL Teams in China Get $20,000 each.

The $120,000 allocated for the top six seeds in the Americas will be evenly distributed between the top 16 teams.

Furthermore, the PUBG Continental Series will rejuvenate the game's esports with over the Internet competition and a $2.4 million prize pool. You can read more about it at the announcement.

Apex Legends Online Tournaments See Strong Growth, New Dates Announced

The online Apex Legends tournaments have seen three times the normal viewership while everyone is stuck at home according to a press release. What's more, these tournaments will continue on April 18 and 20, 2020.

You can read more about the Apex Legends Global Series and upcoming tournaments on its website.

San Diego Comic-Con & WonderCon Anaheim are Canceled

One of nerddom's biggest events is no more, at least for this year: San Diego Comic-Con 2020 is canceled along with WonderCon Anaheim. Both events will return in 2021.

Partnered hotel reservations will be canceled and deposits will be refunded. As for badge holders and exhibitors, they will both have the option to transfer their badge to 2021 or get a refund.

Unity Bows Out of All Physical Events Until 2021

Unity has further clarified their policy on physical events. GamesIndustry.biz reports that Unity's latest update makes it clear: Unity will not be sending any representatives to physical events until at least 2021. The company does mention, however, that it is still quite interested in sponsoring third-party events.

Sony Staying Home from Brasil Game Show

The Brazilian PlayStation Twitter account has announced that Sony will not be attending the Brasil Game Show.

Após uma longa avaliação, a Sony Interactive Entertainment decidiu não participar da Brasil Game Show em 2020. Não vemos a hora de podermos interagir com nossos fãs no Brasil e anunciarmos atividades emocionantes até o final do ano. — playstation_br (@PlayStation_BR) April 20, 2020

INDIGO2020 Continuing As Planned (For Now)

The INDIGO2020 event in the Netherlands is going on as planned for now. With three months to go, the organizers still believe they will be able to host this event, but they'll be keeping an eye on things nonetheless.

UK Games Expo 2020 Canceled

The UK Games Expo has been officially canceled as noted on Reddit. Following continued observation, the organizers have decided to not go forward with this year's show.

All visitors and exhibitors can receive a full refund. Alternatively, they can roll over their purchase of this year's ticket to next year's show.

Digital PaizoCon 2020 Set for May

Following the cancellation of the physical event, Paizo has announced that the dates have been set for PaizoCon Online 2020 via a press release. The show will be running from May 26–31, 2020. More details will be made available when the official site for the show launches on May 1, 2020.

GameSpot has announced "Play For All", a weeks-long online gaming entertainment event. Notably, this event may be going head to head with PC Gamer's PC Gaming Show and IGN's Summer of Gaming. You can look forward to it arriving sometime in early June 2020.

EGX Rezzed 2020 is No More

EGX Rezzed 2020 has been officially canceled. It was originally planned to take place on July 2–4, 2020. For now, the flagship EGX event is still planned to go forward on September 17–20, 2020.

All EGX Rezzed tickets have automatically been upgraded to the core EGX 2020 event later in the year, but all ticket holders are entitled to a refund if they want one.

GDC Summer Goes All-Digital

GDC Summer was originally planned as a replacement event for the O.G. Game Developers Conference, but now it's also going to be changing things up. The conference has announced that GDC Summer will be shifting to an all-digital schedule.

Nintendo Direct for June 2020 Reportedly Postponed

Venturebeat reports that a Nintendo Direct had been planned for June 2020, but it's since been delayed according to information shared with publishing partners and developers. There is no firm info on a new date, but odds are we won't see anything until mid-Summer 2020 at the earliest.

The International 2020 is Postponed

Valve has announced that they're postponing The International 2020 tournament for DotA 2. This year's Battle Pass will be released sooner rather than later, although it's still going to be delayed as many people at Valve are working from home. More information will be provided once Valve decides on a new date or a new format.

Indie MEGABOOTH Reveals List of Games on Sale

The Indie MEGABOOTH will be having a sale to support the organization while it hibernates for the next few months. While the sale itself is still not live, you can check out the list of games and add the ones you might want to your wishlist for now.

All 2020 Fortnite Physical Events Will Be Held Online

Epic Games has announced that all of the remaining physical events that were planned for 2020 will now be held online for the rest of the year.

We don't know when a return to large, global, in-person events will be practical, but we're hopeful to be able to put on some form of Fortnite World Cup in 2021. In the meantime we have more info about online events with FNCS, Cash Cups, 3rd Party Events and Broadcasts. — Fortnite Competitive (@FNCompetitive) April 30, 2020

DreamHack Cancels Summer, Dallas, and Montreal Events

One of the world's biggest LAN parties and gaming conventions is essentially shutting down some of its biggest events for 2020, PlayStation Lifestyle reports. DreamHack Summer, DreamHack Dallas, and DreamHack Montreal are canceled for 2020. The organization's tournaments will be moved online, but some physical events in Q4 2020 may still happen.

Evo 2020 Canceled Despite Earlier Plans

Arguably one of the world's biggest fighting game tournament has bowed out from a public event this year: Evo 2020 is canceled.

A message from the Evo team... pic.twitter.com/ANXUXDiNGK — EVO (@EVO) May 1, 2020

PaizoCon Online 2020 Details Revealed

Following through with an earlier promise, Paizo has revealed some more details about the upcoming PaizoCon Online 2020 event. The event will run from May 26–31, 2020. Sign-ups are limited to certain windows of time, so go ahead and read more about it at paizo.com/paizocon.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Makes GameFest 2020 Fully Online

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has announced that they'll be making GameFest 2020 a fully-online experience for the first time in the event's history. You can check out the schedule on the GameFest website. You'll be able to watch this event on Sansar and RPI's Twitch Channel starting at 1:30 PM on May 9, 2020.

Paris Game Week Canceled

Paris Games Week has been canceled despite taking place in late October 2020, Gematsu reports. This would be been its 10th anniversary. For now, the team behind the show is working on planning 2021's event.

Games For Change Virtual Festival 2020 Opens Registration

Registration has opened for the Games For Change Virtual Festival 2020. Three days of talks, panels, and special announcements involving industry folks will be taking place online along with an awards ceremony and other free events. You can register for the event right now.

Tokyo Game Show 2020 Transitions to Online Format

Yet another gaming convention is not happening this year. The Tokyo Game Show 2020 is canceling its physical show and shifting to an online format. More information will be released later in May 2020. You can keep up with what's going on at the Tokyo Game Show website.

A team of developers have joined together to make their own games festival called "Guerilla Collective." Larian Studios, Paradox Interactive, Rebellion, and others have signed on board. This event will take place from June 6–8, 2020.

Ubisoft has announced their own standlone presentation that is likely t