Joining this year's long list of trade shows cancelled over coronavirus fears is Gamescom 2020, which will no longer be held in a physical location after the recently announced German events ban. This won't floor many, but the event organizers have held fast on this year's show taking place one way or another.
Now, those hopes have been unsurprisingly dashed, as Gamescom organizers announced on Twitter that this year's planned physical conference has been cancelled as of today. A federal German ban on large events and gatherings is in effect through August 31, and Gamescom 2020 was scheduled for the week of August 22. However, having had more time to prepare its logistical response than its counterparts, organizers are happily reporting that the show is still being scheduled to "definitely take place digitally."
Over the past weeks, GDC 2020 marked the Game Developers Conference's first missed showcase since its annualization in 2009, with organizers and presenters having only recently been able to upload planned conferences for online viewers. The biggest hit to the gaming industry thus far came later when this summer's E3 2020 was cancelled entirely, and nary a digital conference has been scheduled fill the massive void left in its wake. Optimists have held out that Gamescom, which is hosted every August in Cologne, Germany, would have be far enough down the line to avoid the pandemic's harshest effects, as ticket sales have continued through the time of writing. However, this did not end up being the case. Read the full official Gamescom statement below:
Source: Gamescom/Twitter