Dead Rising 2 won't make E3

Capcom has confirmed to Kotaku that it won't be bringing its zombie-massacre sequel Dead Rising 2 to E3 due to fears about swine flu.

"Our Capcom guys are not coming to E3 because of the Japanese government restrictions," spokesman Chris Kramer told Kotaku. "The company is taking the advisory very seriously." Dead Rising 2 is the only game affected, however.

Japan's government is advising against international travel - the country has 191 confirmed cases of the disease - and Capcom recently cancelled producer Keiji Inafune's planned appearance at the Nordic Game conference this week.

It's Inafune's inability to travel that has cancelled Dead Rising 2's appearance, even though it's being developed in Canada by Blue Castle. "Dead Rising 2 is the only game we won't be able to showcase at E3, because it's at an early stage of development and the team is not comfortable having anyone else demo the code," Kramer said.

Capcom's home town of Osaka reported the first case of swine flu in Japan, and is the worst-affected city in the country.

As yet, no other Japanese developers have cancelled their E3 attendance due to swine flu, although one or two significant companies have yet to confirm their plans with the press.

Last month, E3 organisers the Entertainment Software Association said the expo was "progressing as planned".

We're still going. We're not scared. In the meantime, check out Tom's impressions of Dead Rising 2 from last month's Captivate event.