Sony won't be attending E3 this year, and now it has confirmed that it will not make a scheduled appearance at this month's PAX East. On the PlayStation Blog, the company cited the coronavirus epidemic as the cause for the sudden cancellation. [Update: Following this move, The Last of Us II has been delayed indefinitely.]

SIE content communications manager Justin Massongill said that avoiding the event was the "safest option" in the face of the erratic nature of the coronavirus (officially called COVID-19). The virus has affected more than 75,000 people and the death toll has risen above a reported 2,000 cases.

"Update: Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as 'novel coronavirus')," Massongill said. "We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern."

The news comes a week after Sony announced its plans to attend PAX East with a bunch of new playable demos for upcoming games such as Doom Eternal, Nioh 2, Spelunky 2, and more. With Sony skipping the upcoming convention altogether, the company is also pulling these demo previews and some others, including the first public demo for Naughty Dog's highly-anticipated The Last of Us Part 2.

PAX East will be held in Boston from February 27 through March 1, and tickets for the event are still available.