Sony cancels PAX East presence due to coronavirus risk

Sony today announced it won't be attending PAX East, and all of its plans for the show have been cancelled.

Sony is skipping PAX East to play it safe against the spreading coronavirus, which is spreading fast across the globe. The games-maker previously planned to show off key first-party games like Ghosts of Tsushima and even have a hands-on The Last of Us Part II demo, but those showcases have been scrapped. This is the second major event Sony has missed in February; first with Taipei Game Show's mandatory cancellation, and now the elective withdrawal from PAX East.

Sony gave a statement on the situation: "Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to the coronavirus. We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern."

The PlayStation titan is also skipping E3 2020 for its own special showcase, which may be disrupted further if the coronavirus health risks aren't quelled.

It's possible Sony will scrap its plans for a 2020 PlayStation Meeting and just reveal its next-gen PlayStation 5 in a live stream feed instead. PlayStation Meeting events usually see journalists from all over the globe gather together for the big PlayStation hardware reveals, which poses a possible coronavirus risk.

Sources close to manufacturing plans say Sony's PlayStation 5 console has yet to be affected by forced facility closures as the coronavirus spreads through China, signifying the console won't be disrupted or delayed due to the infection.