GDC 2020 has been postponed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
“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,” an official statement reads. “We fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer. We will be working with our partners to finalise the details and will share more information about our plans in the coming weeks.”
News of the postponement comes after a number of publishers and developers announced that they would not be participating in GDC 2020. Other activites impacted by the novel coronavirus include EA cancelling its GDC plans, Kojima Productions cancelling its GDC 2020 plans, Overwatch League cancelling Korean matches, Sony cancelling planned activities at PAX East, Square Enix cancelling plans at PAX East, Switch stocks, the Switch release of The Outer Worlds and the Taipei Game Show.
In another statement, the International Game Developers Association said it is partnering with GameDev.World’s “online event and fundraiser to alleviate the financial burdens on developers affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. In addition to providing financial relief, this event will supply education opportunities via free talks about important game development subjects. Attendees across the globe will be able to hone their expertise and knowledge.”
“The IGDA is also partnering with Take This, a trusted leader in mental health practice in the game industry, to develop new materials and standards of support and professionalism to ensure the success of developers,” the statement, penned by IDGA’s Renee Gittins, continues. “This partnership will provide trusted resources for sustainable development practices by improving human resource practices and leadership development across the game industry.”
GDC 2020 was to take place over 16-20 March. We’ll let you know when new dates have been confirmed.
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