As the looming concerns surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus grow, Activision Blizzard joins the ever-growing list of publishers and developers that have withdrawn from GDC 2020.

GDC 2020 is looking to be all-but-canceled in 2020 as looming fears surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus continue. Activision Blizzard has revealed via social media, that they are withdrawing from the event, stressing that the safety of their employees’ health is of the utmost importance to them, aside from the importance of the event.

Activision Blizzard joins the teams at Epic Games, Facebook, Kojima Productions, Microsoft, and Sony, who have withdrawn from the event, however, those looking to attend can still find a massive amount of exhibitors who have yet to withdraw from the show.

Meanwhile, you can check out Activision’s posts about their attendance withdrawal down below:

The health and well-being of our teams is our highest priority, and due to growing concerns related to COVID-19, Activision is asking employees not to attend this year’s Game Developers Conference as we continue to monitor the situation. 1/2 — Activision (@Activision) February 28, 2020

This was not an easy decision to make, as the conference is and has always been an important event for our developers. We look forward to participating in the future. 2/2 — Activision (@Activision) February 28, 2020

The conference is and has always been an important event for our developers, so we look forward to participating in the future. — Blizzard Entertainment (@Blizzard_Ent) February 28, 2020

At this time, the official GDC 2020 website has also updated its section regarding the COVID-19 virus, stating, “We are closely monitoring the COVID19 (coronavirus) situation and want to assure everyone that your health and safety are a top priority. If our assessment of the situation changes, based on new and evolving developments or updated information, we will promptly update this statement regarding the status of GDC 2020 accordingly.”

The event is expected to take place from March 16th until March 20th, 2020, in San Francisco, California. At this point, it’s almost looking like the best idea is to cancel the event altogether and prepare for 2021.

About the Writer(s):

Dustin is our native video game reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook where he interacts with his followers quite a bit!

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Reddit



Like this: Like Loading...