Xbox head Phil Spencer and Ubisoft have announced that both companies will be hosting digital events in place of E3, which was just cancelled.

Loading

All the Big Games Coming in 2020 36 IMAGES

Spencer stated on Twitter that details on the timing of this digital event will be revealed in the "coming weeks" and this new plan will be a way to "celebrate the next generation of gaming with the @Xbox community who love to play." Ubisoft also announced that it supports the ESA's decision to cancel E3 2020, but that it is "exploring other options for a digital experience that will allow us to share all the exciting news we have planned, stay tuned for more!"Nintendo has also issued a statement supporting the ESA's decision to cancel E3 this year "to help protect the health and safety of everyone in our industry," as well as a short statement on alternative plans."We'll continue to be flexible and redirect our efforts to other ways of keeping our fans up to date about our activities and products. We are considering various ways to engage with our fans and will have more to share as the year continues."E3 was cancelled over concerns about the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The ESA has announced that it is exploring the possibility of an "online experience" to replace the show, but there is no indication whether or not Xbox will be part of this.ESA's statement explained their difficult decision: "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."E3 follows the cancellation/postponement of such other events as the Game Developers Conference, Taipei Game Show, and South by Southwest. Spencer confirmed the news that Xbox was planning on attending E3 2020 following Sony's decision to sit out for the second year in a row. 2020 is a huge year for Xbox, as it is gearing up to launch the Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite this Holiday season. Ubisoft had previously discussed that it was planned on releasing five new AAA games in 2020-21, and that one of them was not Beyond Good and Evil 2. Those plans were likely to become clearer at E3 2020.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.