Christopher Dring Head of Games B2B Wednesday 11th March 2020 Share this article Share

Update, March 11, 2020: The ESA has confirmed that E3 will not be going ahead.

In a statement, the firm said: "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.

"Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it's the right decision based on the information we have today.

"Our team will be reaching out directly to exhibitors and attendees with information about providing full refunds.

"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.

"We thank everyone who shared their views on reimagining E3 this year. We look forward to bringing you E3 2021 as a reimagined event that brings fans, media and the industry together in a showcase that celebrates the global video game industry."

Original story, March 11, 2020: E3 will not be going ahead in June, according to various industry reports.

GamesIndustry.biz has been told by businesses close to the ESA that an announcement about the show being postponed will take place 'imminently'. Similar reports have been appearing overnight, including on Ars Technica and a tweet from Devolver Digital.

The move is due to the spread of COVID-19. E3 organisers the ESA had previously said that it was "monitoring and evaluating the situation daily" due to Los Angeles declaring a state of emergency.

E3 is the biggest video games event in the year, attracting hundreds of millions of viewers over the course of the week -- primarily through large press conferences and announcement videos run by the likes of PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, EA, Square Enix and Bethesda. However, it's had a challenging few years as companies have found it harder to justify attending the event in person, with the likes of EA hosting its own event and PlayStation no-longer bringing its products to the show.

Even so, it remains a major event in the industry calendar for consumers, and Xbox and Nintendo were both planning significant reveals during E3 week.

GamesIndustry.biz has contacted the ESA for confirmation.