TwitchCon Amsterdam was cancelled amid coronavirus fears (Picture: Martin Garcia/ESPAT Media/Getty Images)

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak continues to impact major events across the world, with SXSW and Six Nations games both being pulled because of the virus.

One of the industries affected by the ongoing spread is the gaming industry, which has also seen several key events be pulled as a precautionary measure.

So what gaming events have been impacted by the ongoing crisis?

TwitchCon Amsterdam, scheduled to take place between 2 and 3 May, was cancelled this weekend due to coronavirus concerns.


The organisers made the announcement via their official Twitter channel where they wrote: ‘We have been monitoring Coronavirus concerns and having weighed the potential health risks to our community we’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to cancel TwitchCon Amsterdam.’



‘TwitchCon is the best weekend to be a Twitch fan. To say we’re disappointed you won’t be able to enjoy the show we’ve been building for you is a massive understatement. But the health and safety of our community, employees, and everyone else who has a part in making TwitchCon happen is, as always, our top priority,’ their statement continued.

Fans are able to get a full refund for their tickets.

Tens of thousands of gamers attend TwitchCon every year (Picture: Eric_Ananmalay / ESPAT Media / Getty Images)

Meanwhile, E3 2020 still looks set to go ahead from June 9 to 11, in LA, with the Electronic Software Association (ESA) last week releasing a statement to say they are ‘actively assessing’ the situation.

It’s also likely the outbreak could have ramifications for upcoming console launches – namely, the reveal of the PS5 and X Box X.

Since other hardware has been delayed there could be a strong chance the consoles, and therefore their reveals will be as well. Sony has denied there are any delays while Microsoft are yet to comment.

Neither have released the dates for their console launches.

Minecraft Festival – which was scheduled to be held from the 25 to 27 September has also been cancelled by Mojang after ‘careful consideration and much hand wriggling.’

You were excited. We were excited. But after close conversations with our partners, weâve had to make the difficult decision to postpone Minecraft Festival. All is not lost, though: Minecraft Live will still be streaming plenty of exciting announcements!https://t.co/m2CdUwiQgB pic.twitter.com/AiFumPIESL — Minecraft Festival (@Minecraft_Fest) March 5, 2020

Tickets for the event were supposed to go on sale on 6 March, but were never released.

The developers announced the news via a blog on the Minecraft website which read: ‘Our partners, producers, and exhibitors are based in all corners of the world, and right now we can’t meet and collaborate in the way we need to. Without knowing exactly when we can resume planning, we have decided to postpone.’

The Overwatch League also cancelled its February and March matches in China and South Korea, while the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) – the world’s largest professional game industry event – has been postponed.

Many competitive gaming events are impacted (Picture: Luke Walker – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Organisers say they ‘fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer.’

EA has also postponed several competitive gaming events, including the Apex Legends Global Series, scheduled to take place between March 13 to 15.

Several EA Sports Fifa 20 Global Series events are also postponed or cancelled, including the CONMEBOL Libertadores Online and Live Event, which was due to take place at the weekend.



The PlayStation Licensed Qualifying Event, due to take place on May 2 and 3 is also cancelled.

No dates have been provided for postponed events yet, with EA saying they are ‘continuing to evaluate’ the situation.

Other tech events have been cancelled such as the UK’s biggest mobile phone show, Mobile World Congress, which was set to take place between 24 and 27 February.

Mobile World Conference was cancelled earlier this month (Picture: Adria Salido Zarco/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The music, film and technology conference, South by Southwest, has also been axed, impacting hundreds of thousands of potential attendees.

Closer to home, the upcoming London Games Festival is still scheduled to go ahead from 26 March to 6 April, with the organisers yet to post any updates regarding Covid-19.

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