With the large panic that the coronavirus has caused, many companies have cancelled or postponed their events and trade shows. This has been a terrible experience for many around the world looking forward to concerts, festivals and other upcoming events like The London Book Fair, SXSW and Ultra Music Festival. However, there are some that still believe that annual events should still go on as intended.
Several brands like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) have backed out of the Game Developers Conference (GDC). Organizers of the event announced that this year's GDC would be postponed due to so many companies backing out. People now have all their focus on Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), wondering if this annual gaming event will follow the trend. Fortunately, the event's organizers, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), recently announced that they are still moving "full speed" ahead with E3 2020.
In a statement to gaming news sites like IGN and Vice Games, the ESA explained, "Everyone is watching the situation very closely. We will continue to be vigilant as our first priority is the health, 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."
It is fortunate that E3 will go as planned because E3 is still one of the biggest gaming events in the industry. However, with the number of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, incidents rising, it is still possible that the ESA may change their decision. Sony (NYSE: SNE), like last year, will not be attending this year's E3. Even so the event will go on with these companies confirmed to attend: Bethesda, Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI), Ubisoft (OTC: UBSFY), Microsoft and a few others. E3 2020 will be held June 9, 2020 through June 11, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.