E3 Going Ahead Despite Deadly Swine Flu

Despite the apocalyptic threat of the deadly swine flu pandemic which is threatening to eradicate life as we know it from the face of the Earth, E3 will be going ahead as planned.

The imminent doom which surely awaits us all isn't going to put a damper on this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, running at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 2-4. Developers, publishers and retailers alike have indicated they will still be attending the show, although representatives of companies including Activision, EA and Ubisoft told MCV that they are "closely monitoring" the relentlessly virulent outbreak.

13 cases of swine flu have been reported in California and while none have been fatal, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has nonetheless declared a state of emergency to "suspend non-competitive bid contracts for services, material, personnel and equipment needed to respond to this outbreak." The Governor's office says the level of response is appropriate, as this is the gravest threat to life on Earth faced by Schwarzenegger since Satan came to New York in search of a bride in the 1999 action thriller End of Days.

ESA spokesman Dan Hewitt sounded irrationally upbeat in a statement regarding the show. "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," he said, seemingly unconcerned by the fact that we're all about to die in a horrific biological cataclysm. "We look forward to a great event, and to seeing you in Los Angeles in June."

(Readers who are concerned they may be infected with swine flu and have only hours left to live are invited to click here for a fast and accurate diagnostic process.)