Facebook And PlayStation Pull Out Of Game Developers Conference Due To Coronavirus
Topline: The coronavirus is causing increasing event cancellations as both Sony and Facebook won’t be attending the San Francisco-based Game Developers Conference in March, according to GamesIndustry.biz.
- This follows yesterday’s news that PlayStation would be skipping next week’s PAX East conference in Boston, where the company was set to hold its first public demo of its upcoming game The Last of Us 2.
- In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony said it was cancelling its participation “as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily.”
- Facebook, whose Oculus Quest virtual reality headset is experiencing shortages due to the virus, was set to make some announcements at GDC, but it’s now planning to share that info through videos and online Q&As.
Event organizers have been maintaining a log of updates around the coronavirus, saying all 10 of its China-based exhibitors (out of 550 total companies) have pulled out. - It also shared how it will address health concerns at the event, which runs from March 16-20, including adding more hand sanitizer stations, increasing wipe downs of microphones and doorknobs and adding disinfecting electrostatic sprayers to popular areas of the conference.
- Over 2,126 people have died from the coronavirus while there are over 75,700 infected globally.
Crucial Quote: “We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern,” Sony’s statement continues. “We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.”
Key Background: According to a report last week in Bloomberg, PlayStation 5 production has yet to be impacted by the coronavirus, though, it’s unclear if it’s information roll out is being considered at all. Seven years ago today, Sony introduced the PlayStation 4 at its 2013 PlayStation meeting. Aside from showing off its shocking new logo, Sony has been mum on new info about the PlayStation 5.
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