Game Developers Conference 2020 was postponed to February due to the coronavirus outbreak, but organizers said at the time that they "intend to hold a GDC event later in the summer."

In March, they announced GDC Summer, promising "the same level of expert-led, traditional GDC lectures and a freestyle two-day exhibit hall," and was scheduled for August 4

. We said at the time that the August date seemed "optimistic," and we were not wrong: the GDC announced today that while it would like to hold an in-person event as soon as possible, the ongoing pandemic has caused the summer event to go completely digital.

"With many game developers embracing remote work and online collaboration, we are committed to delivering GDC in a digital format that is accessible to everyone with an Internet connection, and the quality content and networking opportunities that GDC attendees have come to expect that GDC attendees have come to expect.

"We believe in the power of bringing together our community to share, inspire and strengthen our industry, and we are committed to providing that opportunity in August.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of nearly all major industry events scheduled for 2020, including E3, Gamescom, SXSW, and QuakeCon... ESA initially hoped to host an "online experience" in place of E3 but dropped that plan earlier this month.

GDC itself went digital in March, sharing pre-recorded "virtual talks" through its Twitch channel and GDC Vault; it's not clear how GDC Summer will meaningfully expand on that less than six months later, but if you're interested If you are interested, you can sign up for the newsletter at gdconf.com.

The PC Gaming Show usually takes place during E3, but this year it will be digital: see here for details.