The COVID-19 virus has caused one more gaming convention to get canceled. This time it’s QuakeCon 2020. Following the cancellation of GDC 2020 and E3 2020, it was only a matter of time that the announcement about QuakeCon was made. QuakeCon first started back in 1996 and has never missed a single year, until now. Last year's convention marked the 25th Anniversary of Doom and this year was also kind of a big deal. The event would have marked the 25th Anniversary of QuakeCon, but unfortunately that won’t be happening now.
The announcement was made via the official QuakeCon Twitter handle. The reasoning behind the decision is just like you would expect. The event was supposed to take place in August and Bethesda is not able to predict how severe the virus effect will be then. Even if died down, planning and preparation for the event are impossible. The organizers did think about postponing the event, but they later decided to completely cancel it.
An update on QuakeCon 2020: pic.twitter.com/1FYUauI7PY
— QuakeCon (@QuakeCon) March 31, 2020
"With all of the logistical challenges and uncertainties we currently face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year's QuakeCon. The health and safety of our employees, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, and players will always be our top priority, and in these times it felt wrong to be talking about a gathering when gathering in the last thing any of us should be doing right now," the tweet reads. "While we don't know what the state of the pandemic will be this August, we do know it will not be possible to complete the work and planning with partners, vendors, volunteers, and others that is required to make QuakeCon a success."
Many were looking forward to this year's QuakeCon, as we probably would have had some presentation about Doom Eternal and its two upcoming story expansions. Bethesda definitely has some more plans for Doom after the success of Eternal, both critic and sales-wise.
More information about the on-going COVID-19 outbreak is available on the official CDC website and the World Health Organization website.
So what do you think? Were you looking forward to QuakeCon 2020? Do you think organizers should take the event online like GDC 2020? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
