Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has confirmed that the company will continue with a digital event to showcase upcoming announcements following today’s cancellation of E3.
The ESA announced that E3 2020 has been canceled over concerns about the coronavirus, which has now killed over 4,300 people worldwide.
“E3 has always been an important moment for Team Xbox,” Spencer said on Twitter. “Given this decision, this year we’ll celebrate the next generation of gaming with the Xbox community and all who love to play via an Xbox digital event. Details on timing and more in the coming weeks.”
The Game Developers Conference and many other gaming events have been canceled or postponed due to the virus, which has spread rapidly throughout many of the world’s countries. There are over 1,000 people infected in the U.S. alone, where E3 was due to take place in June.
“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,” the ESA said. “We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.”
The ESA also said that it’s “exploring options with our members to coordinate an online experience to showcase industry announcements and news in June 2020.”
