Doubt Over Capcom Japan’s E3 Attendance

There appears to be some confusion about whether Capcom’s Japanese employees will be able to make it to E3. Japan has experienced a sudden rise in swine flu, and with 120 cases of infection confirmed the Japanese government is discouraging any unnecessary travel. Apparently, this could include travelling to Los Angeles for the annual video game bonanza.

Speaking to NowGamer, Capcom rep Leo Tan confirmed that the Japan contingent would not be attending.

Yes, no one from Capcom Japan will be at E3 this year.

That wasn’t quite what Kotaku were told however, when they contacted Capcom for confirmation.

Capcom will definitely be attending E3 this year. The Capcom Japan staff specifically attending is something that’s under review at the moment as a result of tough restrictions in force by Japanese immigration.

Will Capcom Japan be attending E3 then? In a way, it doesn’t matter. Representatives from the US and Europe are perfectly capable of pimping Capcom’s wares, but it would be a shame for the company’s top brass to miss out on all the E3 fun.

Capcom’s head of R&D Keiji Inanfune already had to cancel a visit to the Nordic Game show in Sweden yesterday, so they are obviously taking the threat of swine flu seriously.

E3 is only a fortnight away, it seems unlikely that Japan’s swine flu situation will improve in time. Health experts predict that the World Health Organisation will likely have to raise its pandemic alert to the highest level if new cases continue to emerge. Under such conditions, Capcom may not be the only Japanese company grounding its employees.