Overwatch League cancels all Homestand events for March and April
The matches will still be played without a live audience.
The Overwatch League has announced that they are cancelling all Homestand events scheduled for the months of March and April after the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been declared a global pandemic.
A total of 10 homestand events have been canceled:
The Overwatch League had previously canceled homestand events and matches scheduled for the months of February, March, and April inChinaandSouth Koreadue to the outbreak.
“The health and safety of employees, fans, players, teams, and partners is paramount to Activision Blizzard Esports. We are continuing to closely monitor COVID-19 (coronavirus), city-level recommendations and mandates, and all guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said the Overwatch League in astatement.
The league added that they are only canceling the live homestand events and not the matches themselves, which will still be played and broadcasted.
The league assured fans that they are “working hand-in-hand with our teams to see that all matches are played when it’s safe and logistically feasible, staying as close to our originally planned schedule as possible.”
“We are considering the various options available to esports in this effort, so that all teams — including those previously impacted by scheduling changes in China — can get back to doing what they do best,” said the Overwatch League.
Activision Blizzard Esports CEO and Overwatch League commissioner Pete Vlastelica added that they are moving “a few things around in the schedule” to ensure league play continues.
To be clear, we WILL be playing matches in March and April. We cancelled the events, not the matches (though we will have to move a few things around in the schedule to make this work).https://t.co/guxoTWLhMk
The coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the esports activities all around the world, withLeague of Legends’ Mid-Season Invitational notably being postponed to Julyby the worsening outbreak.
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