Bethesda just dashed our hopes of an online E3 alternative

By Eric Abent/

With the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, tech and video game trade shows have more or less ground to a halt. Many big trade shows set to take place throughout 2020 have either been cancelled or postponed, with E3 2020 being among the biggest of them. Originally slated to take place during June, the ESA made the decision to cancel E3 2020 last month, following in the footsteps of shows like GDC and MWC in the process.

E3 is always a big show for the games industry, and we expected that to be doubly true this year with new consoles from both Microsoft and Sony on the horizon. Even though the show has been cancelled, many publishers and major game companies will likely host their planned press conferences online – though we're learning today that Bethesda won't be joining those companies.

Bethesda typically hosts a press conference each year at E3, detailing the upcoming games not only from it but from other ZeniMax subsidiaries as well. In a tweet today, Bethesda SVP of marketing and communications Pete Hines announced that the company won't be hosting a digital showcase in June, citing the "many challenges we're facing due to the pandemic."

So, while we can expect some publishers to host online conferences to make their big announcements, Bethesda isn't going to be one of them. That doesn't mean we won't get any Bethesda announcements, though – Hines says that the company has "lots of exciting things to share about our games," and will do so in the coming months.

Even though Bethesda won't be hosting an online conference like its E3 shows, it sounds like it'll still be a company to watch as we move through the summer. Perhaps we'll hear more about The Elder Scrolls VI or Starfield in the months to come? That might be wishful thinking on our part, but regardless, we'll let you know when Bethesda starts sharing new information.

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