EA opts out of GDC due to coronavirus concerns

Another gaming company has pulled out of GDC 2020 over coronavirus fears, with EA citing the wellbeing of its employees as a priority.

EA issued the following statement regarding its presence at GDC 2020:

“Having closely followed the global situation with coronavirus and with the recent escalation of cases in new regions, we have decided to take additional steps to protect the wellbeing of our employees including the restriction of all non-essential travel.”

“As a result we are also cancelling our official participation at GDC and limiting attendance to other events. We are continuing to monitor the situation and will adjust guidelines to our employees as we feel is appropriate.”

However, EA isn’t the only company to withdraw from the 2020 Game Developers Conference, with Kojima Productions, PlayStation, and Facebook Gaming also having announced that they will no longer be attending the event.

GDC 2020 will take place between March 16th and 20th, 2020, in San Francisco, California.

If you have concerns regarding coronavirus – known officially as COVID-19 – you can visit the World Health Organisation website to find answers and tips on how to keep yourself safe. Maintaining good hygiene practices, such as washing your hands regularly and covering your mouth when you cough and sneeze, can help to prevent the spread of most viruses.

At the time of publishing, there have been 80,239 cases of COVID-19 confirmed globally, with 2,666 deaths confirmed in China and 34 deaths outside of China.

While COVID-19 should cause only mild illness in the majority of healthy people, there is a risk of serious illness and even death in some people. Older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions appear to be more vulnerable to COVID-19. Please exercise caution.