The swine flu might be the most powerful strain of influenza the gaming industry has ever seen. Not only has it altered Capcom's plans for E3 2009, it has also caused Koei and Square Enix to change travel plans for its executives and developers. According to Gamesindustry.biz:

To quote TheFeed reader komradkyle from my story on Keiji Inafune's cancellation at the Nordic Game Conference, "Jesus Christ this isn't Ebola." That said, it's really not too surprising. Remember, we're talking about a country where it's common for people to be walking down the street wearing medical masks. Whether you want to chalk it up to xenophobia or paranoia, this overreaction is par for the course.

While I can't think of a single Koei game I'm incredibly excited for, there are a number of Capcom and Square Enix titles that I was looking forward to seeing and learning more about from their creators at E3 2009. Hopefully the absence of talented Japanese developers and key executives won't take too much away from this year's show...but I'm afraid it's too late for that.

Are you disappointed or surprised at what the swine flu is doing to E3 2009? Do you think it will diminish the impact of any games you're looking forward to?

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