Ubisoft may host a digital E3 conference in wake of the event's cancellation due to COVID-19 concerns

What you need to know

• E3 2020 was officially canceled this morning.
• Ubisoft looks to be exploring alternative methods to announce its games this year.
• It may take the form of a digital-only conference or some type of digital experience.

After E3 2020 was officially canceled by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) this morning due to rising COVID-19 (coronavirus) concerns, publishers took to Twitter to assuage fears that this would affect any upcoming game announcements.

Xbox head Phil Spencer has already stated that Microsoft will host a digital Xbox Series X event in lieu of a public one, and Ubisoft has followed suit. The Assassin's Creed developer said that it is "exploring other options for a digital experience that will allow us to share all the exciting news we have planned."

Ubisoft's press conferences have been notoriously leaky, but this year's is a bit of a mystery as of yet. The next Assassin's Creed game — rumored to be themed around vikings — was expected to be debuted — and many fans were still holding out hope for a Splinter Cell revival of some sort. Watch Dogs: Legion, Gods & Monsters, and Skull & Bones likely would have been part of the showcase as well seeing as they were all previously delayed.

Ubisoft historically held its press conferences the Monday before E3, but the company has not revealed when it plans to host its E3 2020 announcements. The event this was was expected to be held from June 9th through June 11th.

This is the first year in E3's history that it has been canceled, and this ripple effect will surely take its toll around the industry. Though announcements will of course still be made, a lot of potential networking and game pitches will no longer be able to take place without the physical portion of the event.