Coronavirus seems to be affecting the gaming industry too, considering the number of cancellations at GDC 2020. After the Epic Games' announcement, Activision Blizzard also announced that they will be skipping GDC 2020. The main cause of the decision is health concerns raised by the global spread of the "coronavirus."
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
Activision made its own announcement on Twitter, sharing deepest regrets for not being able to attend. Furthermore, the company states that the health and well-being of their teams is their highest priority. Increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases drives the company to urge all employees to skip the event. In addition, the company states that they are monitoring the situation.
Blizzard will no longer attend this year’s @Official_GDC due to growing concerns related to COVID-19. The health and well-being of our teams is our highest priority.
— Blizzard Entertainment (@Blizzard_Ent) February 28, 2020
Moreover, Blizzard also made the same announcement on Twitter. Therefore, we will not see Activision Blizzard participating in the GDC 2020 event. They will probably not be the last developer to cancel their attendance. Unity, Amazon, Sony, Epic Games, Microsoft, and Epic Games already announced that they will not be able to participate.
