QuakeCon cancelled due to coronavirus concerns

QuakeCon, the annual Bethesda event, was supposed to be celebrating its 25th edition this year but QuakeCon 2020 is no more. This is - you guessed it - due to concerns regarding the still-raging coronavirus, as noted in the official statement made by Bethesda and id Software representatives yesterday.

The statement reads, in full;

"To all of our friends in the QuakeCon community,

QuakeCon has always been a special event for us and for you - a time when we gather together to play games and build bonds that, for some, have lasted a quarter-century 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.

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.

Until then, be safe, look after each other, and play games.

Peace, Love and Rockets,

id Software and Bethesda Softworks"

This is the first annual QuakeCon event to be cancelled in its 25 years, and while it's sad to see, safety comes first.