While gaming has seen a rise in popularity during the coronavirus outbreak – after all, what else are you supposed to do when you’re cooped up inside your home for days on end? – the disease has also had major impacts on the industry at large. Due to the possibility of spreading the virus further, the companies behind both the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) and the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) canceled their respective events, and developer Niantic even went so far as to add new mechanics to Pokémon Go so players could more easily enjoy the game from the comfort and safety of their homes.
As it turns out, even some of the world’s most popular franchises haven’t been able to escape the effects of the coronavirus. As reported by ComicBook.com, the first Global Series Major for Apex Legends has been postponed by EA as a result of the spread of the disease. The tournament, which was scheduled to take place from March 13th to the 15th, has not been rescheduled at the time of writing, but the publisher assured fans that any online competitions would not be affected.
In fact, a handful of other games have been similarly affected. On EA’s website, the company detailed that any live events for Apex Legends, FIFA 20 and Madden NFL 20 would also be postponed.
“Our priority is protecting our competitors, our employees, our partner’s employees and our communities,” the publisher wrote. “As we continue to monitor the situation around the coronavirus and receive updated guidance from health officials around the world, we will use this time to determine next steps for moving forward with all of EA’s Competitive Gaming live events and online broadcasts.”
Thankfully, Apex Legends‘ 2020 Global Series consists of 10 Online, 8 Premier and 4 Major tournaments, so at the very least, there’ll be plenty of events that fans can tune into and enjoy despite the spread of the coronavirus. We’re curious though, are there any other online competitions that you plan to watch this year? Let us know in the comments below!
