In addition to postponing the upcoming Apex Legends pro event, EA has released a list of events canceled or postponed via concern over the coronavirus.
Apex Legends and FIFA 2020 events are the latest to be forced to deal with changed to pro events in regards to the coronavirus. Though the Apex Legends Global Series Major 1 live event was supposed to go on in mid-March, it will now be postponed as EA and Respawn Entertainment assess the situation and determine how to go forward with esports events based around Apex.
Electronic Arts released a formal statement over concerns of the coronavirus and a list of changes to upcoming events in Apex Legends and FIFA 20 on March 6, 2020. First up on the list was Apex Legends Global Series Major 1, set to take place in Arlington, Texas from March 13 to March 15, 2020. This event was postponed and will remain so until further notice. Even so, the following Apex Legends Global Series Online Tournament #2 set on March 21 and 23 will go on as originally planned. Outside of online events, several events around the world in the FIFA 20 Global Series were also canceled or postponed.
For the health and safety of our players, we have decided to postpone the Apex Legends Global Series Major 1. Online Tournament 2 scheduled for March 21 and 23 will still take place. For more information, please see below. https://t.co/YCUJhwdF2G
— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) March 6, 2020
Regarding the postponed events such as Apex Legends Global Series Major 1, EA had little to say on the matter at this time.
“While we don’t have any new dates to share at this point in time,” EA staff wrote. “We’ll look to provide more information regarding these events and the effect on each of the Global Series as soon as we can.These decisions haven’t come easy, but given the large, global nature of these events, we believe that making these changes are in the best interest of protecting the health of the community, including competitors, attendees and staff.”
The change to EA esports events follows immediately after it was announced that NetherRealm Studios’ Final Kombat event would livestream without a live audience and, extremely notably, SXSW 2020 was cancelled outright.
It’s been an active set of weeks for cancelations, postponing, and further adjustments due to the coronavirus with little end in sight. We’ll have more on the changes coming to Apex Legends Global Series Major 1 as further information becomes available.
