QuakeCon @ Home starts on August 7 and it will have "a few fun secrets" to share

Update: QuakeCon @ Home will bring three days of livestreams, tournaments, and "a few fun secrets" to fans around the world.

The online version of QuakeCon will run from Friday, August 7 to Sunday, August 9, the original dates for QuakeCon 2020. While the bring-your-own-computer LAN party that serves as the beating heart of QuakeCon is off the table this year, there's still plenty of options for online festivities.

Bethesda typically uses the QuakeCon center stage to offer more detailed looks at upcoming games. Since E3 2020 was canceled, Bethesda may also take the opportunity to do more general E3-style announcements during the event - like that GhostWire: Tokyo and Deathloop gameplay footage it debuted at the PS5 Future of Gaming event.

Now that PS5 and Xbox Series X are known quantities, does this mean we could finally get our first look at Bethesda's next-gen RPG Starfield? I'll file that one under "potential pleasant surprise" for now.

Original story follows

In what is now the unfortunate trend of 2020 gaming events, QuakeCon has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

The announcement was posted on the official QuakeCon Twitter account, and details the thought process that went into cancelling the event, which was set to kick off in Dallas, Texas on August 6 and run through August 9. While the state of the pandemic and subsequent social distancing guidelines may have changed come August, the QuakeCon staff believes it wouldn't be "possible to complete the work and planning with partners, vendors, volunteers, and others that is required to make QuakeCon a success." 

This year's QuakeCon was meant to be the 25th anniversary of the event, but "logistical challenges and uncertainties" coupled with a concern for "the health and safety of our employers, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, and players" has resulted in its cancellation. 

Every year, QuakeCon brings together fans of Doom, Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, and more to check out gameplay, compete in tournaments, and check out panels often featuring special guests. Last year focused heavily on Doom Eternal, and this year's QuakeCon likely would have had some great stuff to check out (last year, there were adoptable puppies at the event). 

While it's sad to see the ways coronavirus has affected gaming's biggest gatherings, keeping the population safe is the only option to flatten the curve, and large conferences are the last place we should all be right now. Some conferences, like GamesCom, could be held entirely online, giving us a chance to hang out virtually and check out the latest the gaming industry has to offer. 

Here are all the ways the video game community has come together to support coronavirus relief efforts.