A few days ago we reported that Sony, EA, Facebook and others were pulling out of this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC) due to the global situation with coronavirus (COVID-19). Today comes word that Microsoft and Xbox is following suit, with the difficult decision made by the company to withdraw from the event.

With the following statement released.

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).

As it has in recent years Xbox was planning to have a large GDC presence highlighting indie developers and its own studios through developer sessions and interactive experiences. In light of the announcement Microsoft notes that it plans to conduct a digital-only event from March 16-18 via www.microsoft.com/gamestack - where we'll be getting "a behind-the-scenes look into design and development decisions made by the creators of Minecraft and Gears of War, and hear from Xbox Game Studios teams Double Fine, inXile, Compulsion, Rare, Obsidian, and Undead Labs".

In other GDC withdrawl news, Epic Games is also cancelling its plans for the event as per below.

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