E3 canceled: Here’s what Microsoft, Ubisoft and others are doing

For more than two decades, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, was a summer ritual for game companies to announce new titles and consoles. Now that it’s canceled due to coronavirus concerns, game companies say they still plan to hold announcements.

Shortly after the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced E3’s cancellation on Wednesday, major game makers such as Microsoft and Ubisoft said they were planning online events where they’d stream announcements to fans.

Gaming companies are just the latest to cancel events following the spread of the novel coronavirus, which the World Health Organization has officially labeled a pandemic. Local governments around the country have been declaring public health emergencies, barring events and encouraging companies to send employees home.

Tech giants like Facebook and Google were forced to cancel their biggest events of the year, typically held in the spring and summer months. Now, Silicon Valley is effectively on lockdown.

The video game industry isn’t planning to merely cancel E3 though. Companies say they’ll announce upcoming games over the internet, likely through livestreams or recorded messages.

Here’s what they’re planning:

Microsoft

The Xbox maker said it will plan a “digital event” where it will stream announcements of new titles and details of its next-generation Xbox Series X video game console to fans “in the coming weeks.”

Ubisoft

The French game maker, known for The Division post-apocalytpic action game and Watch Dogs hacking series, said it too will likely put together a video stream announcing new games, though it didn’t offer specifics.

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