E3 Moving Ahead Despite Coronavirus Fears

E3 2020 will be moving forward, the ESA says, despite fears of the coronavirus continuing to spread well into the year and beyond.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or as it's more commonly called, E3, will be moving forward despite the continued spread of COVID-19, otherwise known as the novel coronavirus. Recently, the Game Developer Conference was canceled due to coronavirus, leading many to worry that E3 would suffer the same fate.
Despite the concern over the disease, a statement from E3's organizers has asserted that the show is "moving ahead full speed." However, despite that, the event's organizers did state that they were "watching the situation closely," and it's possible that the show could still be canceled should the disease continue to worsen. Coronavirus has been directly responsible for various eSports events being canceled, and the situation shows few signs of improving.

Even before coronavirus became an issue, Sony pulled out of E3 for the second year in a row, among many other major companies typically found on the show floor. With the various cancelations, some have called into question the importance of E3 moving forward, as many companies have started to shift towards a Nintendo Direct-style approach for their announcements.

Still, companies such as Microsoft have reaffirmed their commitment to the show, helping breathe more life into it. Still, should the coronavirus remain unchecked, there's a good chance that may no longer be the case. As seen with GDC, companies began rapidly pulling out of the show due to concerns for their employee's health, including Microsoft. It makes sense that the companies would take similar action regarding E3 if coronavirus continues to spread.
Fans can rest assured that E3 is happening, at least for now. The show has always served as something of a Mecca for gamers, with many of the year's major announcements happening during it. Whether it's due to coronavirus or some other factor, going a year without E3 would be strange for the industry.
Hopefully, coronavirus is combatted soon. It has continued to ravage many parts of the world, with the resulting death toll rising daily. There's still a lot of uncertainty about the disease, but one can only hope that it's dealt with as swiftly as possible. There's a very real human cost to it– one that is far more serious than conventions being canceled.