Riot Games, makers of League of Legends, and Electronic Arts have suspended all esports operations, respectively, adding to the timetable for the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and development of the LCS Academy League stopped all operations immediately, the official Twitter account of the series announced Friday evening. EA said Friday night that Apex mythology Global Series, i FIFA 20 Global Series, and Madden NFL 20 The Championship series has been suspended, along with all the live events in the EA competition program.
Riot said he reached his decision in consultation with LCS & # 39; The suspension also means that the 2020 LCS Spring Finals, whenever caught, will take place at Riot's home studio in Los Angeles. The Sky Finals was scheduled for April 18 and 19 in Frisco, Texas, but "extending the boundaries to the North Texas masses" made the wise decision to move on and continue that event at Riot HQ.
"For those who have already bought tickets to LCS games or the Spring Finals, you will be fully restored," Riot said Friday evening. Refunds are already out of many cases, but if fans do not return their money within 10 business days, they are asked to contact customer support for the ticket seller they have used.
“We aim to bring the live action of LCS together with experts League of Legends esports in Texas in the future, ”said LCS commissioner Chris Greeley. "Thanks for your understanding and support during this time."
For EA esports, the suspension also affects "all competitive sports content except for one-off broadcasts. Online events, where participants and staff are isolated and separated, will continue.
"This suspension of events … will be effective until the coronavirus situation improves," the EA said.
EA had already set up specific events within one of its esports series, where Riot had announced certain restrictions and restrictions on LCS fals. Riot had already started bringing a refund to the Finals in the spring. Recent announcements mean that everything is closed, not just the main events in the program.
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Thursday. The United States now has more than 2,100 certified coronavirus cases, in 49 of its 50 provinces. Globally, over 100,000 are infected with COVID-19 and over 5,000 die. There is no vaccine for this virus.