Gamescom 2020 confirmed to be online only

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Refunds will be given out if authorities forbid the in-person show

(Image credit: Gamescom)

Gamescom 2020 is going to be online only this year, the organizers of the event have confirmed.

A statement on Twitter confirms that the event will be online only. It reads: "It is also quite clear to us that, in the face of the corona pandemic, we must stand united. This means that we must all be considerate of each other and reduce the risk of infection.

"We are, however, already working at full speed on a digital Gamescom. It is, after all, the world's biggest event for games, and that's what it should be again this year."  

The statement also goes to say that more will be revealed about how the show will operate online in the coming weeks, as well as the fact that all paid tickets will be refunded. You can read the full statement below. 

This follows news that the German Government recently announced that all major gathering will be "prohibited" until 31 August. With that ban also affecting music festivals and German sporting leagues, it was only a matter of time before Gamescom had to become an online-only event.  

Plans have been in place to ramp up for a digital event for a while, with the Gamescom team saying last month that they will 'significantly expand' the Gamescom's Opening Night Live digital event as well as the Gamescom Now online channel. The show also plans to add "new modules" on top of those existing formats. All of these digital events are still scheduled to happen from August 25 to 29. 

Gamescom's announcement follows a few weeks after the official cancellation of E3 2020. The Entertainment Software Association has confirmed that they will not be holding an online event this year, but dates have been set for E3 2021: June 15-17. 

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Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar.