GDC is Postponed Until Summer due to Coronavirus Concerns

Last week, we reported that Microsoft and Epic Games, out of concern for the coronavirus, were pulling out of GDC, or the Game Developers Conference, and would be using alternate ways to advertise future releases and titles. At the time, GDC said that they would continue with their plans to host the event later this month, but over the weekend it seems they’ve had a change of heart, and have announced not a cancellation, but a postponing:

After close consultation with our partners in the game development industry and community around the world, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the Game Developers Conference this March.

Having spent the past year preparing for the show with our advisory boards, speakers, exhibitors, and event partners, we're genuinely upset and disappointed not to be able to host you at this time.

We want to thank all our customers and partners for their support, open discussions and encouragement. As everyone has been reminding us, great things happen when the community comes together and connects at GDC. For this reason, we fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer. We will be working with our partners to finalize the details and will share more information about our plans in the coming weeks.

The good news is that GDC has assured that all ticket holders will be getting their money back, and anyone who booked a room at the GDC hotel block could cancel it without penalty.

It’s unknown if the virus will be contained by summer, but like many strains of flu, the virus will probably weaken in the warmer weather, which could make it safer to host an event like this. But that’s far from a guarantee.

It’s worth noting that another big gaming event, Seattle’s Comic Con, is going ahead in spite of concerns.