Paris Games Week is not the most famous video game event in North America, but it is a big one: in 2019, it attracted 317,000 visitors over five days. But that won't be the case this year. Organizers announced today that the 2020 event, scheduled for October 23-27, has been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

"It is with great emotion that we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Paris Games Week scheduled for October 23-27.

"The current situation and the need to anticipate the technical and logistical complexities of an event like the Paris Games Week led us to cancel the event. This year should have been a special year, a memorable one with an impressive lineup of new releases, and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate with you.

Unlike Gamescom, which immediately promised some sort of digital alternative event, PGW organizers did not mention the possibility of an online event, instead stating that they are currently working on putting together a show for 2021.

The coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of most major game shows in 2020, including E3, Gamescom, SXSW, and QuakeCon. plans for an "online experience" to replace E3 were quickly scrapped, but Gamescom's digital event is still underway, and several publishers, including Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Devolver Digital, are planning their own digital shows. Here is the schedule of alternative online events known to date.