Although Anime Expo 2020 has been cancelled we will be seeing a different never before seen version of the convention during the same weekend. Anime Expo Lite will take place on July 3rd and 4th and will be an online convention featuring the typical con experience in your home.
Ray Chiang, the CEO of The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, talked about Anime Expo Lite in a press release:
“We are excited to be able to parlay the traditional Anime Expo into a virtual experience. Since 2017, AX has been live-streaming select panels as well as from the convention floor, so it is a natural transition for us to produce a virtual event. As everything in 2020 is different, we see a unique opportunity to be able to share our passion for Japanese pop culture not only with those that would have attended AX but now with any anime fan no matter where they live. With our Anime Expo Lite line-up, we know fans will find plenty of events and special guests to entertain and keep them engaged.”
Anime Expo also shared what would have been their program guide featuring a crossover with the hit title The World Ends With You.
The featured guest for Anime Expo Lite is Yoshitaka Amano, a designer famous for his work on the Final Fantasy series.
Fans will also be able to experience:
- Panel discussions with industry leaders
- Industry announcements
- Live content
- Exclusive content from Japan
- Q&As
- Giveaways
It will definitely be a packed weekend as Funimation also plans to hold an online convention of their own called FunimationCon 2020.
For full details and updates on Anime Expo Lite check out the official announcement.