Japan’s annual Tokyo Game Show is now the latest video game announcement event to be canceled this year as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as it will take place online instead. With the majority of the world’s population staying at home and concerns regarding the safety of staff and visitors ever-growing, several video game showcases such as E3 and the Game Developers Conference have decided to sit 2020. Instead, publishers turn to the socially distant realm of internet live streams to show off their upcoming titles.
Recently, Game Awards host Geoff Keighley announced he’s looking to fill the void left by the likes of E3's cancelation with the first annual Summer Games Fest, a four-month-long series of gaming events featuring new titles from most major publishers. The first of these planned shows, yesterday’s Xbox 20/20, showcased many new games for the upcoming Xbox Series X console, although some fans were left disappointed by the lack of real gameplay footage on display. Now, it appears that this year’s Tokyo Game Show will follow a similar model, while hopefully avoiding Microsoft’s issues.
Video game bargain hunter Wario64 posted an image of a recent press release from the people behind the Tokyo Game Show on his Twitter page last night, which announced the event had been canceled this year due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, there will be an online live stream, still held on the previously planned dates of September 24 through the 27th. You can check out the full Tweet below:
Traditionally held in Chiba’s Makuhari Messe Convention Center and featuring a wide range of upcoming video games and esports competitions, the Tokyo Game Show is widely regarded as one of the biggest gaming events in Japan. The event is held in such high regard that the recently appearance-shy Sony still chooses to be featured there even while having skipped events like E3 in recent years. Before the show’s recent cancellation, rumor had it that the next-gen consoles such as the PlayStation 5 would be featured heavily, in addition to new advancements in cloud-based gaming. There is no word yet if the switch to a digital-only presentation will change any of those plans.
The Tokyo Game Show having a live stream-only event this year may be disappointing for those looking forward to checking at the various exhibits at the Makuhari Messe Center. Still, the safety of the general public should always come first. As there is still no definite end in sight to the current coronavirus outbreak, it is simply safer to hold the event online instead of risking any potential infections. On the plus side, fans will still be able to see all of the big reveals and showcases that the Tokyo Game Show has to offer when the event live streams on September 24 through the 27, even if they can’t physically walk its halls.
Source: Wario64 (via Twitter)