Spreading around quickly around China and now threatening to expand its reach on a global scale, the sudden growth of the concerning coronavirus has become a major worldwide issue over the last few weeks. Not only have government officials recommended foreign travelers to be wary of the highly infectious virus, but it also appears many big events set to take place in China have had to postpone due to concerns that the infection will be spread quickly in heavily populated environments.
One such event has sadly turned out to be the Taipei Game Show, the popular Taiwanese video game convention set to take place early next month. Announced through a statement on the convention's site, the team behind the event stated, "Taipei Game Show is one of the iconic annual networking events. With that in mind, W.H.O. has declared a global emergency as Wuhan coronavirus spreads."
The statement continues, "Considering mass gatherings like Taipei Game Show increase the chance of cluster infections, the organizing committee has decided to steer away from such unthinkable risks." Although a followup date for the show isn't announced within the statement, the Taipei Game Show does claim that "The detail of the execution on the postponement will be carefully discussed and will be announced in the upcoming days." This is evidently a wise decision seen as the coronavirus has recently been declared a global health emergency. With so many journalists, game developers, and fans flying over to the event, it wouldn't make sense to potentially provide an ample space for the disease to spread.
For those who have never heard of the convention before, the Taipei Game Show often turns out to be one of the biggest video game events of the year, often showing off many of the biggest upcoming games. This iteration of the convention was set to showcase a number of highly-anticipated titles, including Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy 7, and The Last of Us 2. While the lineup would have produced some amazing new looks at these games, it's a minuscule sacrifice to pay for the safety of the thousands of attendees that might've been at risk when going to the show.
Luckily, fans disappointed that the show won't make an appearance until later this year might have a strong alternative in the form of Sony's rumored PlayStation meetup that's allegedly slated for mid next month. There, Sony will supposedly reveal the first look at the PlayStation 5 as well as a number of brand-new games to launch alongside it. Regardless, here's to hoping that the Taipei Game Show comes back better than ever when it returns at a currently unspecified date.
Source: Taipei Game Show