QuakeCon is the latest event to be canned due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). When the virus first went public, there was a concern, but the world was slow to respond out of the assumption that it would just naturally blow over. Now the US is leading the charge as the most affected area following the spread of the pandemic as countries all over scramble to adapt to the continued upheaval. Even though many of these events are a little far off, they take months in advance to plan, meaning companies have to make the executive decision to put health over profits and that’s exactly what Bethesda did when they announced that QuakeCon 2020 is cancelled.
An update on QuakeCon 2020: pic.twitter.com/1FYUauI7PY
— QuakeCon (@QuakeCon) March 31, 2020
In the statement above, Bethesda confirmed its decision to postpone this year’s event after following the situation closely. In case the above tweet is not populating, here’s what the team had to say about why they decided to pull the plug now:
“In recent weeks we have spent a lot of time discussing how we might still move forward with QuakeCon this year, particularly given that it’s the 25th year of the event. However, with all of the logistical challenges and uncertainties we currently face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s QuakeCon. The health and safety of our employees, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, and players will always be our top priority, and in these times it felt wrong to be talking about a gathering when gathering is the last thing any of us should be doing right now.”
They added, “While we don’t know what the state of the pandemic will be this August, we do know it will not be possible to complete the work and planning with partners, vendors, volunteers, and others that is required to make QuakeCon a success. We thank all of you – especially the volunteers – for all your work in building and supporting this event year after year. We hope to work with you to come up with other ways to celebrate the spirit of QuakeCon this August, and we look forward to the return of this amazing event next year.”
While it’s sad to see, it’s good to see companies taking the necessary steps like this to ensure safety. And remember, wash those hands!
