Well it looks like GDC 2020 is going to be even emptier than before as a slew of companies have just made it known they will not be attending the event. These new withdrawals come from the likes of Microsoft, Epic Games, and Unity. As the coronavirus continues to spread, travel and major population centers are considered to be higher risk. I once again applaud these companies for taking the health of their employees into consideration rather than risk the spread of disease.

Here at Epic we were excited about participating in GDC 2020. Regrettably, uncertainty around health concerns has made it unviable to send our employees, and so we have made the difficult decision to withdraw attendance.

Stay tuned for Epic news and more through other channels.
— Unreal Engine (@UnrealEngine) February 27, 2020

Unfortunately, it would seem GDC is going to be hit pretty hard by this as this now marks a number of important players in the gaming world as no shows to the event. Honestly, at this point GDC might be better off canceling the event this year to save itself from putting on an empty show and pissing off vendors. As of February 25, it has been stated that GDC will continue as planned. It will be interesting to see if these new withdrawals change that statement. Previous exits from the event include Sony, Facebook, Kojima Productions, and EA Games.

Would you still head out to GDC given the current health concerns and the number of companies that have pulled out?