The 2020 edition of Bitsummit is jumping from early May to June 27 and 28.

Live Twitch streams, game demos and digitised showfloor booths built around chat app Discord are to help create an online BitSummit experience as the indie show moves wholly online.

A vibrant annual video games expo based in Japan that serves as fan convention, business contact meetup, scouting opportunity and awards platform, BitSummit 2020 is decamping to the online realm.

Known for attracting game developers from across Asia, Oceania and the United States, this year's BitSummit was originally scheduled for May 9 and 10 at the Miyako Messe convention center in Kyoto, but was cancelled in reaction to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Then dubbed BitSummit: The 8th Bit in reference to the mid-1980s 8-bit era of video game history and its own eight-year anniversary, the expo will now be reborn as BitSummit Gaiden in June.

"We recognise the realities of developing and launching a game and we would still like to give everyone that had an interest in being part of BitSummit a chance to be part of the BitSummit Family this year!" event organisers wrote on Twitter.

"Therefore, we've created BitSummit Gaiden: an online festival that shines a light on hard-working indie developers, provides a unique platform to showcase their works and gives their games the visibility we believe they deserve."

The BitSummit website and social media are to update with a roster of special guest speakers, influencers, sponsors and a charity drive in the near future.

BitSummit Gaiden - whose new suffix means "spin-off" or "side story" in Japanese - joins a number of video game events moving online after geographical events were called off.

The Game Developers Conference (GDC), Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), and August's Gamescom, have been replaced by online activities whether in an official capacity or thanks to their displaced communities.

LudoNarraCon, an event highlighting story-driven video games, returned to the Steam PC gaming platform this past weekend, having debuted in 2019 as a completely online experience.

Convenience, comfort, cost and attendee health were cited as reasons underpinning the inaugural event's online nature in those pre-Covid-19 times.

Similarly, The Game Festival - an online event associated with December 2019's iteration of prize-giving and preview ceremony The Game Awards - saw GDC-adjacent The Steam Game Festival: Spring Edition take place in March and has The Steam Game Festival: Summer Edition scheduled for June 9-14, part of a concept which its organiser hopes to expand to other platforms.

 - AFP Relaxnews