The 2020 Season of Blizzard Entertainment’sOverwatchLeague is set to launch on February 8. However, the esports event centered around their team-based first-person shooter will not be holding matches previously scheduled in China during the months of February and March due to recent health concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.
According to a Tweet put out by the officialOverwatchLeague account Monday, the matches in China are being canceled to “protect the health and safety” of players, fans, and staff members. However, they will still be hosted at an undetermined future time, and the post specifies that “we remain incredibly excited to play Overwatch League matches in China later this season.”
RELATED:Gamers Find Scary Connection Between Resident Evil and Coronavirus Outbreak
Earlier today, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a “public health emergency of international concern” after more than 8,100 cases of the viral outbreak were confirmed in mainland China (with dozens more discovered globally), leaving at least 170 people dead according to CNN. Other esports events like theChineseLeague of Legendsleaguehave also been delayed due to health concerns.
In a post uploaded to theOverwatchLeague website in November 2019, organizers described how the 2020 Season’s 20 teams will be split into two conferences and each play 28 matches, “with teams playing matches in their home cities.” Based on these divisions, four teams in the Eastern Pacific Conference come from China: The Chengdu Hunters, Guangzhou Charge, Hangzhou Spark, and Shanghai Dragons.
It’s worth noting that Guangzhou is specifically a city in Hong Kong. Blizzard was recently in hot water overbanningHearthstoneplayer Blitzchungfor speaking out in favor of ongoing pro-democracy protests against the Chinese government.
The 2020OverwatchLeague will bestreaming exclusively through YouTube Gamingafter Activision, Blizzard’s parent company, struck a deal with Google that was announced earlier this month. It joins other esports events like theCall of DutyandHearthstoneleagues as exclusives for the streaming platform.
TheOverwatchLeague is a very popular event regardless of the controversies surrounding its creator, even garnering a reference from theAdult Swim animated sketch showRobot Chicken. Whether concerns regarding the coronavirus will continue to affect the competition’s world-travelingOverwatchplayers is yet to be seen, but it’s worth watching how more companies will adapt going forward.
