With so many major companies bailing out of the in-person convention, I can't help but wonder: is it in danger of not launching this year?

No.

Marian McBrine
Event Manager
Gen Con LLC

Nah, maybe being in danger of being better than ever.

To be clear, I wasn't worried about the loss of events, I was worried about the loss of Exhibit Hall presence (and possibly con funding, though I don't know how that works) that these companies represented, and whether that might damage the con's chances.

I like to know the reasion these company's are pulling out

• Bulk of staffing is from volunteers.  I would guess they normally have more than they need but this year could net ensure they could even meet their minimum.
  
• They are not based in America.  International travel is still a sticking point and while things are looking good now, as they say in the investment world, past performance is no guarantee of future results.
  

It's pricey as all hell to have a booth at GC, if they don't get a price break, I don't blame them for backing out, they may not recoup the cost.

I can understand that.  Vendors are there to make a buck..

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Online conventions will cease to be a thing once the pandemic is fully over.  They were just an alternative when physical conventions were not an option.

Why go to an online convention anyway when you can go to a physical convention?

Well, like a # of businesses, did MORE 'remote' working, and schools did online learning, some may Demand they keep things that way, for 'easiness'??

I mean, management knows better than I do, but it seems like there is definitely a market for people who cannot attend in-person to attend virtually, even if there is a fee involved.  I imagine this would be particularly popular for international would-be attendees.

Well, the past year has certainly taught us that it is possible to hold a fun and successful convention online. Plus, I suspect there were many people who were able to give it a try precisely because it was online. I also think that, all things being equal, people prefer physical presence overall. That said, I suspect that the good folks running Gen Con will be keeping an eye this year on how well they can juggle the three different aspect of the con: (1) in Indy, (2) Online, and (3) Pop-Up. We may well discover that, at least for a large con like Gen Con, having this "blended" approach is advantageous, keeping a focus on the main arena in Indy, while providing alternative means of taking part, for people like me who is one of the "would-be international attendees" that @quarex mentioned above!

As one of those International attendees, yes.
It's definitely not the same, and time-zone differences make things a bit of a challenge, but it gives at least a part of that Gen Con feeling.

( I'm trying to use it as an opportunity to do the Gen Con stuff I never do in person; Seminars & Panels & so on, because an 8-hour time shift means there's a solid chance of falling asleep in RPG sessions )

I will just say that online conventions have absolutely no appeal for me.  I would rather just go to my local game store for a small gaming event than to attend an online convention.  A big part of attending a convention is meeting people that I would not meet under normal circumstances.

After the last year+, I've had my fill of virtual events.    Even before 2020, I needed something live or I would have zero interest (conventions, concerts, whatever)

Like others, I just don't enjoy online gaming as much as in-person. I think I read that 70% of communication is non-verbal, so you definitely miss out on more than half of your gaming experience if you only game online. 

To be honest, I do have a fear that some large retailers would rather have an online Con over an in-person con, like Paizo, for instance.