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Update: E3 is still taking place despite LA declaring a state of emergency

ESA is keeping an eye on the situation

Update: E3 is still taking place despite LA declaring a state of emergency

Updated March 5th 2020, 11:45am: The ESA has reaffirmed its plans to push forward with E3 despite the fact that the city of Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus.

In a statement on its website, the trade body said that "our E3 team and partners continue to monitor COVID-19 via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). We are actively assessing the latest information and will continue to develop measures to further reduce health risks at the show."

There is still a chance the show could be postponed or cancelled, but the ESA has not openly acknowledged this as an option just yet, simply saying that "while the ESA continues to plan for a safe and successful E3 show June 9-11, 2020 - we are monitoring and evaluating the situation daily".

Original story below...

US video games trade body the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has insisted that E3 2020 will still be taking place as other events have been cancelled due to anxieties about coronavirus.

Speaking to Vice Games, the organisation said it was monitoring the situation but still intends on holding the LA trade show in June.

Watching closely

"Everyone is watching the situation very closely," said the ESA.

"We will continue to be vigilant, as our first priority is the health, wellness and safety of all of our exhibitors and attendees. Given what we know at this time, we are moving ahead full speed with E3 2020 planning. Exhibit and registration sales are on track for an exciting show in June."

This follows numerous companies pulling out of PAX East and UBM cancelling GDC due to concerns with coronavirus.

This news was preceded by several firms including Unity and Facebook pulling out of the San Francisco event. The Mobile World Congress 2020 was also cancelled thanks to the outbreak. Before the event was cancelled, both Sony and Amazon confirmed they would not be attending.

This story originally appeared on PCGamesInsider.biz.


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Kayleigh is the Staff Writer for PocketGamer.biz. Besides PGbiz and PCGI she has written as a list writer for Game Rant, rambling about any and all things games related. You can also find her on Twitter talking utter nonsense.