Microsoft’s annual developer conference, Build, was supposed to take place between May 19 and May 21 this year. The event will, unfortunately, no longer go ahead as an in-person conference due to concerns over coronavirus.

Like many of the other cancelled events and conferences, Microsoft’s Build 2020 will be a digital event instead this year. That’s the same Google has done with its own annual developer conference, too.

Build 2020 getting cancelled was bound to happen: with the coronavirus outbreak continuing to spread, there really is no other alternative. The situation with coronavirus has gotten significantly worse in the western part of the world over the last 2 weeks or so, and governments are taking necessary measures to try and stop the outbreak spreading even further.

“The safety of our community is a top priority. In light of the health safety recommendations for Washington State, we will deliver our annual Microsoft Build event for developers as a digital event, in lieu of an in-person event. We look forward to bringing together our ecosystem of developers in this new virtual format to learn, connect and code together. Stay tuned for more details to come,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

Microsoft is expected to hold an Xbox digital event now that E3 has been cancelled as well.

Build 2020 is a big deal for Microsoft for a couple of reasons. Unlike the last few years of Build, the company actually had something interesting (for consumers, at least) to show off this year: Windows 10X and its plans for foldable devices. With the in-person conference getting cancelled, there may be less hype about the conference, but the digital event will still be something to look forward to if you are a Microsoft fan.

Tagged with Build 2020, Coronavirus, Microsoft