GDC 2020: Coronavirus fears see Facebook and Sony pull out of event

With no end in sight until now, the Wuhan Coronavirus is gradually affecting major events and businesses globally. The telecommunications industry was recently dealt a big blow when major exhibitors for the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona dropped out. It was ultimately cancelled over health concerns. Samsung, on the other hand, proceeded with it's Unpacked 2020 event with safety checks in place. Now, the epidemic once again causes problems for the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2020 next month as Sony and Facebook pull out.

With the PS5 still nowhere in sight, gamers were hoping that the gaming-related gathering in March would be the launching point for the console. In addition to the next-generation game system, this also means the Oculus will not be on hand to showcase the latest virtual reality or augmented reality tech that is in development.

GamesIndustry.biz reports that while Facebook will not be personally attending GDC 2020, it will participate digitally. What they have lined up would be video conferencing, online discussions, and more. This is understandable given the infection rate of the Wuhan coronavirus strain. "Out of concern for the health and safety of our employees, our dev partners, and the GDC community, Facebook will not be attending this year's Game Developer Conference due to the evolving public health risks related to COVID-19," said a company representative.

Meanwhile, Sony issued an official statement that reads, "We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus). We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily."

Both companies have cited concern over the health of their employees and partners as the main reason for backing out. In fact, the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East next week, will also be crossed off Sony's list of appearances in 2020. Facebook might have other events down the line, but it is yet to specify when and where. In a related report, Microsoft has already scheduled a panel to talk about its new approach to audio signal processing with the Xbox Series X. As of this writing, it is unclear if it will push through or be cancelled.