CD Projekt Red Cancels PAX East Staff Trip Over Coronavirus Concerns
CD Projekt Red has made the last-minute decision not to send staff to PAX East over concerns about the Coronavirus. The Polish studio, which had been planning to send several members of staff to the event, will now no longer be attending. Fortunately for Cyberpunk 2077 fans, this decision won’t impact any announcements, as CD Projekt Red hadn’t been planning on revealing anything or showing off their upcoming game.
CD Projekt Red PAX East Appearance Cancelled
Given that there were no panels or other formal events to cancel, there was no formal announcement about CD Projekt Red’s decision from the studio. However, Head of Communications Stephanie Bayer posted a message on Twitter earlier today about it. “I just found out my team is cancelling our PAX East trip so I will NOT be at PAX East as previously planned,” she wrote; “I should still be at GDC though.”
According to Bayer, the reason for the cancellation was due to health concerns. “We weren’t bringing Cyberpunk there,” she stated, in response to a fan query; “it was more CDPR staff were attending but now we’re cancelling. Trying to keep the team healthy”. Presumably, the final sentence is in reference to recent concerns over the spread of the Coronavirus. In a now-deleted tweet, Bayer had also stated; “Corona, man. We’re mitigating travel risks for folks”.
CD Projekt Red isn’t the only studio cancelling travel plans over similar concerns. Capcom, Square Enix, and Sony have all pulled out of the event as well for the same reason. Elsewhere, the PUBG Corp. recently cancelled a fan event in Boston and announced plans to reschedule; “once the coronavirus is under control and travel returns to normal”. Given that CD Projekt Red staff would have to travel internationally to the event, and that PAX East is likely to be packed full of people, it makes sense to give it a miss, especially when it the trip isn’t for actively promoting Cyberpunk 2077.