On top of affecting so many lives, the Coronavirus is also having an effect on the entertainment industry. Recently, it was reported that Mission Impossible 7 had to delay shooting in Venice, Italy due to the outbreak there. Now, it’s being reported that Microsoft isn’t attending the Game Developers Conference 2020. Instead of having an on-site presence, Microsoft will hold a digital-only event March 16th to March 18th. During this, they’ll have most of the sessions that had previously been planned for the event.
Microsoft stated:
“After a close review of guidance by global health authorities and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from participating at Game Developers Conference 2020 in San Francisco. The health and safety of players, developers, employees, and our partners around the world is our top priority. Especially as the world is experiencing growing public health risks associated with coronavirus (COVID-19).”
Microsoft added:
“GDC has long been a moment for us to come together and celebrate Gaming for Everyone with our many vibrant communities. While we won’t be able to bring our G4E events online, we remain committed to celebrating and amplifying our diverse communities in gaming throughout the year.”
The CDC in America has previously said that the country should be prepared for everyday life to be affected when the virus fully hits the states. They said “when” – not “if”.
“These are things we need to start thinking about now. We need to be preparing for significant disruptions of our lives. People are concerned about the situation. Rightfully so. But we are putting our concerns to work preparing.”
It’s because of this that it makes sense that industries are taking precautions. On top of this, Sony is also not attending GDC 2020, as well Electronic Arts.
Source: CB
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
