The current coronavirus pandemic has forced all manner of public events to be canceled, from live sports to music concerts and, of course, gaming events and conventions. The likes ofthe Game Developers Conference, TwitchCon, and even E3 have all fallen victim to itso as to protect peoples' health, and now we can add one more to that list: theTokyo Game Show.
TheTokyo Game Showhas been held annually since 1996 and has served as a place for developers and publishers to release new trailers and details for their upcoming games, as well as an open spot for the general public to take part in cosplay and try out demos.
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Originally planned to run from September 24th - 27th at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, organisers CESA, Nikkei, and Dentsu released an official statement confirming the cancellation, explaining that the coronavirus situation remains unpredictable, especially in Japan, and that they wish to prioritize everyone’s safety.
“Due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on a global scale and the situation remains unpredictable in Japan as well, the organizer and the co-organizers have reached this decision after a long consideration to place the utmost priority on the health and safety of visitors, exhibitors and stakeholders. We ask for your kind understanding and cooperation.”
However, this doesn’t mean the event won’t happen at all. Instead, it will be held in a digital format online. No details were given exactly as to how this will be handled or if it will even take place during the initially planned dates, but we won’t have to wait long as the organizers said more information will be announced towards the end of this month.
A similar event,PAX West, which is to be held in September as well in Seattle, has not been canceled due to the pandemic, with its organizers expressing optimism about the situation. With nearly every other live event being canceled and/or replaced, though, we have to wonder how much longer that will last, especially as the coronavirus doesn’t seem to be slowing down, especially in America.
The coronavirus has certainly thrown a lot of major plans into disarray. Ameaty E3-like Nintendo Direct was expected to air in June, but new reports revealed that Nintendo has opted to postpone it to a later date.
Thenewest DLC character forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewas said to be announced and released in June, but with the aforementioned postponement, we’re left wondering if that has had to be delayed too.
