Sony Cancels PAX East Appearance Due to Coronavirus Concerns

Written by Brandon Hofer on February 19, 2020

News: Sony has chosen to skip PAX East next weekend in Boston over concerns about the welfare of their employees.

If you were hoping to check out The Last of Us: Part II, Dreams, or one of Sony’s other titles at PAX East you are no longer going to be able to do so. Due to concerns over the Coronavirus, Sony has made the “last minute” decision to avoid the upcoming convention in Boston that is set to take place next weekend, beginning on February 27th. It is always better to play it safe in matters like these so even though it is a disappointment for those planning to attend, I applaud Sony for trying to look after their employees. What this also means is that Sony is running out of big events to attend before the release of the PlayStation 5 since they have also decided not to participate in E3 this year. Of course, they could hold their event and probably will have to at some point if they miss many more opportunities to get the PS5 in front of their fans or at least be able to talk about it in some detail.

This news was delivered today via an update on the PlayStation Blog. The update said the following:

“Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”). We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern.”

Of course PAX East isn’t the only show being affected by the Coronavirus. The Mobile World Congress show that takes place in Barcelona was outright canceled. While that is an event geared towards cell phones and the mobile industry and not gaming per se, the organizers chose to outright cancel it when some big names decided not to attend. One has to wonder what effect (if any) this may have on the Game Developers Conference that is set to take place in approximately one month. I have heard that there are quite a few Chinese companies that won’t be attending, as of right now. That could potentially change if things get better quickly but it is unlikely with GDC being only a few weeks away.

What do you think of Sony not attending PAX East? Do you think there will be a PS5 centric event at some point in the next few months? Tell us in the comments section below.

source: PlayStation Blog