The coronavirus is steadily making its way around the world and more and more people are infected or are at risk of becoming infected. The disease's rapid infection rate has started to affect many around the world, with travelers being quarantined to prevent the disease from spreading, and larger gatherings are canceled. What game events are affected by this at the moment?
Editor's Note: This list will grow over time as more news and announcements are released.
No audience at Intel Extreme Masters 2020 in Katowice, Poland
The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) 2020 competition in Katowice is not canceled and will still run as planned from February 28 to March 1 in Poland. However, the IEM event will not have active audience members to watch from the arena. The event will be broadcast purely for viewers to watch from the IEM Twitch channel. the announcement came on February 27. All tickets will be fully refunded for fans who purchased one to attend the event live.
Intel®ExtremeMasters on Twitter
Due to dynamic changes in the global health situation, Silesian Governor Jarosław Wieczorek has issued a decision to withdraw his approval regarding ESL hosting a mass event in Katowice, Poland.
Game companies are not participating in PAX East 2020
PAX East 2020 which will take place in Boston, MA, will still continue and begin February 27 and run through March 1. However, several game companies have indicated that they do not plan to attend the event and have withdrawn from their panels. These companies include:
- Capcom
- CD Project Red
- PUBG Corp
- Sony
- Square Enix
Some companies, such as Square Enix and Capcom, are still planning to host live streams to share details with their fans about their upcoming game announcements. You can expect to hear more tidbits of upcoming news for Monster Hunter: Iceborne over the weekend.
Switch production takes a hit
Nintendo announced that Switch production started to take a negative turn due to the coronavirus in January. These statements were shared when the virus first emerged, and Nintendo detailed, "We currently see no major impact on shipping to the United States, but we will remain vigilant and take action if necessary." He went on to say that "it is possible that the supply will be affected by the virus if it spreads and is prolonged".
The overall production produced by Nintendo for the Switch will vary depending on how long the disease has spread and how far away it is. At the time of this writing, it is far too early to say or estimate how the United States will feel the impact of these production losses.
