Amidst the COVID-19 concerns, Gamescom is still set to continue this year in Cologne, Germany on Aug. 25 – 29. The organization announced in a Twitter post that they will continue to monitor the situation and adjust as necessary. The city of Cologne has banned all events with more than 1000 people until Apr. 10, but no one possesses a crystal ball to tell us whether they will extend this.
A short update on the current situation: ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nZH3qMMVvj
— gamescom (@gamescom) March 16, 2020
A good few months until Gamescom
So far, the situation appears rather dire, and the five months until Gamescom don’t seem that many anymore. It remains impossible to tell how long the COVID-19 pandemic will continue, and planning, therefore, is difficult. Sports and esports leagues around the world have canceled their seasons, and many conventions have been either canceled or postponed. Who knows what the world will look like in August? For now, fans who wanted to attend Gamescom can still plan to do so. However, they should also keep their eyes open for changes.
Summer festival season is approaching fast and remains the highlight of the year for many people. With large conventions such as E3 canceled and rumors that even the releases of the next-generation consoles are at risk, gamers will be eager to hear some good news. Hopefully, by the time August rolls around, the world will have more control over the situation. Then we can enjoy some respite with some new game reveals after a time filled with so much worry.
Regardless of if Gamescom goes forward or not, your money will not go to waste, as everyone who purchased tickets through the official ticket shop will be reimbursed. The best course of action seems to be to secure your ticket before it’s too late. You can always get your money back if it’s canceled, but you won’t get those experiences back if the event does end up happening and you miss out.