Were you looking forward to this year's 'annual' F8 developer conference? Think again, muchacho - Meta done cancelled it. This will be the third year in a row with no show. The previous two editions were understandably pulled amid the global pandemic, but there's a different reason for 2022 - they'll all be hard at work, "building the metaverse", apparently.

That's the explanation stated in a blog post by Diego Duarte Moreira, Director Developer & Startups Programs at Facebook. He says they're, "Taking a brief break in programming and will not hold F8 in 2022 while we gear up on new initiatives that are all tailored towards the next chapter of the internet, and the next chapter of our company too".

But don't feel too put out - Moreira still wants to be friends, saying, "Similar to the early stages of the web, building the metaverse will be a collaborative effort at every stage – with other companies, creators and developers like you".

If you can't wait for the next Connect event later this year, he invites you to, "Check out our developer platforms and tools, partner programs, and ongoing engagement with the developer community through hackathons and competitions at Meta for Developers". 

The consumer-facing Meta Quest Gaming Showcase is still going ahead on April 20th.