Microsoft Skips Game Developer Conference Over Coronavirus Threat

Now Microsoft joins the list of game tech companies who opted out of GDC (Game Developer Conference) in San Francisco scheduled for 2020. Amidst the warning on Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease spread, the tech giant took this decision after seeking guidance from leading health authorities around the world.

The company officially announced the decision on their blog that: “After a close review of guidance by global health authorities and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from participating at Game Developers Conference 2020 in San Francisco. The health and safety of players, developers, employees and our partners around the world is our top priority. Especially as the world is experiencing growing public health risks associated with coronavirus (COVID-19).”

Prior to this announcement, many other leading game companies such as Sony, EA, Facebook Gaming, Kojima Productions, Capcom, and Unity already decided to skip the conference for the same reason.

Following the announcement from Microsoft, the Epic Games posted on Twitter that they too are opting out of the conference.

“Here at Epic, we were excited about participating in GDC 2020. Regrettably, uncertainty around health concerns has made it unviable to send our employees, and so we have made the difficult decision to withdraw attendance,” the wrote on Twitter.

Here at Epic we were excited about participating in GDC 2020. Regrettably, uncertainty around health concerns has made it unviable to send our employees, and so we have made the difficult decision to withdraw attendance.
Stay tuned for Epic news and more through other channels.
— Unreal Engine (@UnrealEngine) February 27, 2020