Another day, another cancelation due to COVID-19. Riot Games announced earlier today that they’re canceling the in-person events of the LCS.
It seems that they’re only canceling the in-person aspects, however. There won’t be an audience, tailgating, or meet-and-greets as there were plans to have, but they haven’t announced any plans to suspend or reschedule the game itself.
Likely they intend to move the final to an online format, as many have done in recent weeks. Doing so cuts down on travel and reduces the chances of spreading the COVID-19 virus, while still allowing fans to enjoy the event online, as well as giving the season its natural end.
“As a league, we need to stand by our policy of putting the safety of our pros, fans, and employees first,” their announcement reads. “The LCS and academy games will continue as scheduled and will be broadcasted from the LCS studios.
“We know this may be disappointing to our fans, but we ask for your understanding with this very difficult decision.”
Riot states that they’re working with their ticket vendor, Squad Up, to process refunds to anyone who has purchased a ticket to the upcoming events. They also speak to their intentions to continue closely monitoring the spread of the virus to see how best to respond in the coming weeks.
Speaking to the LCS Finals, which were taking place about a month from today in mid-April, Riot hasn’t come to a decision on whether or not they intend to hold the event as planned. As it’s still a decent bit into the future, they’re waiting a week before they give a full report on their intentions for the event.
“For the 2020 Spring Finals, we’re continuing to assess the situation in Frisco, Texas to determine whether we’ll continue in Frisco as planned or move the LCS Finals to the LCS Arena in Los Angeles.”
Riot anticipates having an answer on where they’ll hold the finals on March 20th. They intend to base their answer on the guidance of the local government and health authorities to ensure the best experience for the fans and players within the events, which primarily includes not contributing to the spread of COVID-19. All in all, they’re strongly suggesting that fans not make any new travel arrangements based on the events (or in general) until an additional announcement is made.
At this point, all fans of the LCS can do is wait until the 20th for the upcoming announcement and hope for the best. Given the way things are going, though, it seems highly unlikely the event will continue as planned.
