E3 video game expo in Los Angeles canceled months in advance over coronavirus fears

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2020, or E3, will not be held in June in Los Angeles amid a growing coronavirus outbreak in the United States, organizers say.

“Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation,” organizers said in a statement.

“We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters,” the statement says. “But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.”

The annual E3 conference, which attracted nearly 70,000 attendees in 2019, had been set for June 9-11. Organizers say they plan to set up an online version of the event in June.

More than 121,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 4,300 deaths as of March 11, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 1,000 confirmed cases with 32 deaths.

California has 157 confirmed coronavirus cases, but thousands more may have been exposed, the Los Angeles Times reports. Three people have died in the state.

The exposition has been “the biggest event on the gaming industry calendar, serving as a focal point for new hardware and software announcements,” Bloomberg reported.

The 2020 show had been eagerly awaited for expected revelations about new consoles planned by Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. by year’s end, according to the publication.