PlayStation and Facebook cancel plans to attend GDC due to coronavirus

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Facebook (which includes Oculus) have cancelled their plans to attend the 2020 Game Developers Conference due to the alarming coronavirus COVID-19. So far, the virus has killed more than 2100 people, with most cases in China.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Facebook still plans to make announcements “through videos, online Q&As, and more, and will plan to host GDC partner meetings remotely in the coming weeks.”

Meanwhile, in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony said the following: “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. We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.”

SIE has already cancelled plans to PAX East where the company was planning to show more about The Last of Us II.

Also today, the people at GDC shared the following statement today in their latest post: “We believe that, based on the strict U.S. quarantine around coronavirus and a large number of enhanced on-site measures, we are able to execute a safe and successful event for our community. Locally, the Department of Health for both the State of California and the City of San Francisco support the convening of public events.”

[Sources]: GamesIndustry.biz: PlayStation and Facebook cancel GDC appearances citing coronavirus concerns. Polygon: PlayStation, Oculus, and Facebook Gaming pull out of GDC over coronavirus concerns.