Organisers ‘will continue to be vigilant’
[Update: Following the declaration of a State of Emergency in Los Angeles yesterday, the ESA has issued a new statement regarding E3, which reads as follows:
“The health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, partners, and staff is our top priority. While the ESA continues to plan for a safe and successful E3 show June 9-11, 2020 – we are monitoring and evaluating the situation daily.”
“Our E3 team and partners continue to monitor COVID-19 via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). We are actively assessing the latest information and will continue to develop measures to further reduce health risks at the show.”
“Again, please know that we will continue to evaluate new developments and provide updates, as needed.”]
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has stated that its summer extravaganza, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), is still on track to take place in June, despite growing global concerns over COVID-19, more commonly known as the “coronavirus.”
“We will continue to be vigilant, as our first priority is the health, wellness and safety of all of our exhibitors and attendees,” an ESA spokesperson told Vice. “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.” Of note, around 69,000 attendees were present at E3 2019.
That statement comes following the postponement of the Game Developers Conference 2020, originally scheduled to take place in San Francisco later this month. Coronavirus concerns have caused the postponement or cancellation of several events in the gaming sphere, most recently the Tokyo Tekken Masters tournament, which Bandai Namco halted just yesterday. There are currently around 89,000 confirmed global cases of COVID-19.
E3 2020 is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles between June 9-11.
