Overwatch League owner Blizzard Entertainment canceled league games in China until March, citing concerns over a social coronavirus in the region. The announcement comes after many other events, including two launches League of Legends structures, were established.
Blizzard posted its statement on Twitter on Wednesday night. "We have decided to cancel our February and March game in China to protect the health and safety of our players, fans and staff," it said. "We hope fans will find a safe and happy Lunar New Year, and we are very excited to play Overwatch league games in China soon this season."
Details about these games will be shared "in the future." A Blizzard spokesman told Polygon that "there is nothing they can have at this time."
Tuesday, Chinese The escape The Guangzhou Charge team has transported its non-Chinese players to South Korea permanently. Team officials are working to expedite the visas of their Chinese players and take them to South Korea. Wednesday, Shanghai Dragons has announced
"Since the outbreak of the disease, we and other teams in the Pacific East Division have been discussing solutions with the Overwatch League," wrote a Guangzhou Charge lawyer on Twitter. "The fact is that this situation is unpredictable, complicated and urgent – we hope our fans understand what the Chinese and league teams face."
Another Chinese group, Chengdu Hunters, posted an update on Weibo revealing that the group will remain in China but have taken steps to prevent the virus.
The Overwatch League is scheduled to begin on February 8 in New York and Dallas. Canceled Games in China are scheduled for February 15-16 in Shanghai; February 22-23, March 14-15, and March 21-22 in Foshan, China; and February 28 to March 1 in Hangzhou, China.
A new type of coronavirus was introduced in Wuhan City, China late last year. Widespread distribution in China, with the majority of cases remaining in China Hubei province, is where Wuhan is located. In the past few days, the number of infected patients has increased dramatically, to over 6,000, with cases in more than ten countries, including five patients in the United States. (The U.S. risk remains low, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) On Jan. 29, 6,057 cases have been reported
Chinese authorities released the reserve for the Wuhan people, which is home to 11 million people, on Jan. 23. Since then, the population has been limited to the area around the city, which affects 35 million people, Vox said. Hong Kong from there issue an emergency
Other esports events have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus. This week, the League of Legends Pro League and WESG & # 39; s Asia-Pacific Rating-Strike: Offensive Worldwide contests are postponed. English LPL broadcasters leave China expressing fears about the virus & # 39;
"We don't really know how dangerous it is, but it looks like it could be worse than what people say, so we take him out of here," Joe "Munchables" Fenny said in a video posted on Twitter earlier this week.
On Jan. 29, the League of Legends Pacific Championship Series & # 39; s upcoming season it was postponed. PCS officials are cited for safety considerations and postponement travel restrictions. Refreshments early in the season will be shared as soon as they are available.
Korea esports website FOMOS has been reported On Wednesday the League of Legends Champions Korea tournament, to be held in Seoul, will be held outside the audience. Riot Games confirmed to Polygon that the league is taking “safety precautions because of the virus.” LCK is expected to start in early February.
No affected events have been rescheduled.
