This week has left another major gaming event in peril and uncertainty, but at least now fans have a clear indication of what’s going to happen with this particular event. The spread of COVID-19 has caused the German government to take a rather radical step to protect the citizens of the nation from the deadly disease. This week the federal government issued an order banning any large gatherings in public places for several months.
This pushed a major problem into the laps of the organizers of Gamescom 2020. The event was still on earlier this month, before the ban was issued, that has now changed. And Gamescom isn’t the only event feeling the pain. Major conventions like E3, Fanfest and GDC 2020 have been canceled or delayed. Some companies have said they would fill the void with digital presentations, only to later can those plans, like Bethesda.
Gamescom 2020’s organizers have announced that the show will continue but, without a physical component this time. The new version of the event will take place in August just like the original plan, although it will be scaled back a fair bit. Expect short presentations and trailer showcases on Twitch, or something of that nature.
“It’s official: unfortunately, gamescom will under no circumstances take place on site in Cologne this year. […] It is also quite clear to us that, in the face of the corona pandemic, we must stand united. This means that we must all be considerate of each other and reduce the risk of infection.”
“We are, however, already working at full speed on a digital gamescom. It is, after all, the world’s biggest event for games, and that’s what it should be again this year,” the team revealed. The new event hasn’t been fully finalized yet, so expect more news soon.
As for those who already booked tickets to the now-canceled event, you will be getting refunds. Koelnmesse, the organizers behind Gamescom, will start refunds in the next few weeks.
