Microsoft To Host Digital Xbox Event Online Following E3 2020 Cancellation

xbox series x
We learned earlier today that E3 2020 has been officially cancelled. Given the graveyard of tech conferences that the coronavirus has already left in its wake, it wasn't too surprising to learn that E3 2020 would become the next victim.

"Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation," wrote the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) on its site this morning. "We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters."

Microsoft was one of the key gaming companies that was going to have a big presence at E3 2020, so its opportunity to engage with industry professionals and regular gamers in-person has been lost. However, Microsoft will provide the next best thing: an online-only, digital event where it will talk about all things Xbox.

phil spencer twitter

"Given this decision, this year we'll celebrate the next generation of gaming with the @Xbox community and all who love to play via an Xbox digital event," wrote Xbox Chief Phil Spencer. "Details on timing and more in the coming weeks."

Microsoft has already spilled the beans on many aspects of the Xbox Series X including its design, the AMD Zen 2 and RDNA 2 hardware inside, SSD storage, and 12 TFLOP compute performance. It's likely that the folks from Redmond will show off some swanky next-generation game titles running on the advanced hardware and possibly give us an idea of pricing for its console during its digital event.

In other Microsoft news, on Monday the company announced that it would still hold sessions online regarding its Xbox Series X console and Project xCloud game streaming service next week following the cancellation of GDC 2020.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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