Nearly a week before PAX East 2020 kicks off, Sony announced they will not be attending PAX East and Game Developers Conference this year due to coronavirus concerns.
According to GameIndustry.biz, PlayStation will not be going to Game Developers Conference in 2020 for worries around the coronavirus. In a statement from Sony Interactive Entertainment:
“We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus). We felt this was the best option as the situation related to the virus and global travel restrictions are changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern. We look forward to participating in GDC in the future.”
GDC runs from March 16th to March 20th.
See More: Switch Shortage Expected Globally Due to Coronavirus
Facebook Cancels GDC Attendance
Additionally, Facebook Gaming cancelled their scheduled appearance for GDC. They said they plan to make announcements about Oculus during GDC online. A Facebook spokesperson said:
“Out of concern for the health and safety of our employees, our dev partners, and the GDC community, Facebook will not be attending this year’s Game Developer Conference due to the evolving public health risks related to COVID-19. “We still plan to share the exciting announcements we had planned for the show through videos, online Q&As, and more, and will plan to host GDC partner meetings remotely in the coming weeks.”
As for PAX East, Sony took to their PlayStation Blog to announce the cancellation:
UPDATE: Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”). We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern.
Naughty Dog Bows Out of PAX East As Well
Developers of the highly anticipated The Last of Us Part II confirmed the notice saying they won’t show up either.
We’re so sad to have to miss PAX East! We were really looking forward to meeting you and seeing your reactions to the demo. Although we know this makes the wait until May 29 a bit harder, we appreciate your understanding. Don’t worry, we’ll have more to share closer to launch. https://t.co/tIJ0Z7Ztcs
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) February 19, 2020
Sony also planned on showcasing other games such as:
- Below
- Cloudpunk
- Doom Eternal
- Dreams
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Genshin Impact
- Gorn (PS VR)
- Haven
- Marvel’s Iron Man VR (PS VR)
- MLB The Show 20
- Mosaic
- Moving Out
- Nioh 2
- One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
- Paper Beast (PS VR)
- Persona 5 Royal
- Pixel Ripped 1995
- Predator: Hunting Grounds
- Remnant: From the Ashes
- The Room VR: A Dark Matter (PS VR)
- Space Channel 5 (PS VR)
- Spelunky 2
- Trials of Mana
- Zombie Army 4
Game studio miHoYo, the developers behind the upcoming Genshin Impact, has confirmed to LOGNET they will still be attending PAX East despite the lack of Sony’s presence. Follow lordsofgaming.net for updates as they become available.
The Lord’s Word: While the announcement is a bummer, Sony’s decision makes complete sense. The current state of coronavirus, for lack of a better phrase, is nothing to take lightly. A few cases of coronavirus have been reported in the North East of the US, but officials have confirmed the threat was low. Regardless, Sony is looking out for their employees, which is understandable as to why they’re not attending anymore. At this point, it’s expected to see this mindset adopted by other companies throughout the year.
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