With the coronavirus continuing to spread, more and more gaming events are being hit with severe delays, if not outright cancellations. This year’sSXSW was shut downonly a week before it was set to begin (the first time it has done so in its 34 years of being run), and now theMinecraft-centric event, Minecraft Festival, has been affected too.
For the last few years,Minecraftdeveloper Mojang had been hosting an online-only event called Minecon Earth, having originally ditched its live events. This year, it intended to revive the format in September from the 25th - 27th, and would have featured interactive exhibits and tournament plays.
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Despite the event still being several months away, however, it seems the organizers are choosing to play things safe by cancelling the event, due to the “extensive preparations required to organize a mammoth event like this.”
In a post regarding the cancellation, Mojang wrote:
“In recent weeks, the COVID-19 outbreak has led many organizers to cancel or postpone gatherings and events across the world, as a preventive measure to ensure the health and safety of their guests. The situation around Minecraft Festival, however, is a little different. September is still many months away, and we are not making any predictions about how long it will take to put the outbreak behind us.”
This certainly isn’t a decision that was made lightly, as ticket details had gone live only last week, and were intended to go on sale a couple of days ago. Fortunately for Mojang and the fans, Minecraft Live - an online-only event that will be livestreamed - will still be running. So if Mojang has any further surprise additions to the game, likethe recently added Netherite, they could be announced then.
As forthe upcomingMinecraft Dungeons, that’s still set to be released in April, with the latest teaser trailer showing off the kind of loot players can look forward to acquiring.
With so many gaming events being affected by the coronavirus, it’s somewhat surprising that the biggest of them all,E3, is still scheduled to take place this year. This in spite of warnings from the city of Los Angeles (where E3 is held), which recently declared a state of emergency.
Minecraftis available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
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