Every summer, everyone who's anyone in the video games industry gathers in Los Angeles for the E3 entertainment show: a week of game demos, press conferences and announcements that spell out the shape of the games world for the next year. But this year's model, which starts in just two weeks, is falling foul of swine flu travel restrictions issued by the Japanese government.
Are potential visitors being too cautious?
One game is already confirmed as a swine-flu-related no-show: Capcom-developed zombie thriller Dead Rising 2. Prominent Japanese developers Square Enix (responsible for the Final Fantasy games) and Koei have both forbidden their Japanese staff to attend the show.
After the U.S., Mexico and Canada, Japan is the country with the most swine flu cases, and the government has taken major steps to curb the outbreak, including closing over 4,000 schools and advising citizens to avoid international travel.
E3 organizers are committed to going ahead with the event, though. As spokesperson Dan Hewitt told gaming blog Joystiq a few weeks ago, "The 2009 E3 Expo is progressing as planned. Public health officials are taking all appropriate steps and we continue to follow their direction on all measures."
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Posted: 20 May 2009
