Taipei Game Show 2020, originally set to be held between February 6-9, 2020, has been postponed to Summer 2020 in light of the Wuhan coronavirus that has been declared a global health emergency by WHO as of January 31, 2020. With mainland China and the surrounding areas, like Hong Kong and Taiwan, on high alert, it’s a safe decision born out of necessity and bad timing. [Thanks, Bahamut!]
On January 30, 2020, Taipei Game Show host Taipei Computer Association released a statement that the show would go on as planned, but with additional safety precautions like temperature checks and facemasks distributed to all attendees. However, today publishers like Justdan Entertainment, beanfun, and WANIN Games cancelled their showings at the expo. It was likely the straw that broke the camel’s back in regards to Taipei Game Show’s postponement, alongside the WHO announcement.
Several games were to be shown at Taipei Game Show 2020, including the recently-revealed Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS. Maxiboost ON, which would have shown off its first live gameplay there. Sega also had an unannounced game to reveal on the final day.
The Wuhan coronavirus is known to cause pneumonia and, while not as fatal as SARS or MERS and just about as contagious as the common flu, it has a longer incubation period before symptoms become clear. This means that there is a likelier chance that it can be passed on to others before it’s even detected. The reason why the WHO has declared it an emergency is because of the possibility cases might surface in countries with weaker health systems.
