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Gamescom 2020 'continuing as planned' in spite of coronavirus concerns

COVID-19 continues to be a concern among various industries, but for the time being, gamescom 2020 is still on track according to its organizers.

TJ Denzer

March 17, 2020 9:20 AM

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Some of the largest gaming events of the year have been shut down in efforts to combat and contain the coronavirus pandemic. E3, GDC, and many others shut down in 2020 due to the risks, but gamescom 2020 in Cologne, Germany is still on track and will remain so for the time being according to a message from its organizers.

The gamescom committee released a statement regarding COVID-19 via the gamescom Twitter on March 16, 2020. According to the statement, while the committee recognizes the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic, it’s still too early to make a statement regarding cancelation of the event. Nonetheless, the gamescom organization is continuing to monitor the situation and will reportedly respond appropriately if needed.

“On [March 10, 2020], Cologne banned all major events with more than 1,000 participants up to and including [April 10, 2020],” gamescom wrote. “Since gamescom takes place at the end of August 2020, we are currently not affected by this. However, we will of course follow the recommendations of the responsible authorities regarding major events, evaluate them on a daily basis, and make our decisions after careful consideration.”

A short update on the current situation:
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nZH3qMMVvj

— gamescom (@gamescom) March 16, 2020

That is to say, gamescom 2020 could still be under risk of cancelation should COVID-19 still be a threat by the end of Summer 2020. It’s still quite a few months away, but E3 2020 made the decision to close well ahead of its time in June 2020. Other events canceled or rearranged attendance much closer to their acting dates, including GDC 2020, IEM Katowice, and Mortal Kombat’s Final Kombat.

Depending on what happens in this next couple crucial months, it may not be surprising to hear from gamescom regarding the coronavirus again, but for now, it would seem that gamescom 2020 is still on track. With any luck, by the time gamescom 2020 rolls around, COVID-19 will be contained and the event will be out of harm’s way.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.