It’s time to reroll — Gen Con 2020 cancelled this year, Gen Con online announced as replacement

If you were planning on heading to Indiana to celebrate tabletop gaming’s biggest event this August, we’ve got some bad news. Today, Gen Con hosts have announced that this year’s convention has been cancelled, with the event moving to 2020 on August 5 through 8. However, a new event, Gen Con Online, has been announced, which will allow board game fans to view announcements from the comfort of their homes.

From the official press release:

Gen Con, the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America, announced today that their upcoming 2020 convention in Indianapolis has been canceled due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19. The decision was made after extensive consideration and in consultation with Indianapolis government officials and public health authorities. Gen Con will return to the Indiana Convention Center August 5-8, 2021.

“Gen Con is the highlight of our year, and we know that it means as much to our attendees, exhibitors, event organizers, and local partners as it does to us,” said Gen Con president David Hoppe. “But after carefully monitoring the situation and having ongoing conversations with experts and local government officials, it became clear that the only responsible option was to cancel the convention for this year.”

Attendees who have purchased badges for Gen Con 2020 will be contacted by email with details about rolling their badges forward to 2021 or receiving a refund, and current hotel reservations made through the Gen Con housing block will be canceled automatically and free of charge.

“We know this was a very difficult decision for Gen Con to make, but we understand and support their decision,” said Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy. “They’re great partners and we’re mutually committed for the long term. For me and so many others in our community, Gen Con 2021 can’t come soon enough.”

For those that need to refund their badges, you can do so from May 26 through July 29. Other options include getting a system credit, donating your badge fee for support, and (the default should you not opt to cancel) rolling your badge to next year’s Gen Con. However, there will be a virtual counterpart, Gen Con online, which will be launched at the same dates of the original convention.

During the original dates of the convention (July 30 – Aug 2, 2020), we’ll be hosting Gen Con Online, a virtual convention experience featuring a slate of events and programming you can attend remotely from the safety of your devices and in the comfort of your favorite quarantine sweatpants!

Nothing can replace being at Gen Con in person, but we hope you’ll join us to play games and celebrate the things that bring us together.

Stay tuned for more news here on Gaming Trend.

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