Coronavirus has affected many industries and businesses, including the gaming industries, since its outbreak. Many events have been canceled and postponed to a later date to prevent the spread of the virus.
Gaming events have not been left behind as several conferences have been canceled, and gaming operations halted. This includes shutting down casinos and betting shots. As a result, online gambling has become popular as a safe alternative to traditional gambling in land=based casinos.
Online gambling in Finland has especially recorded a rise in the number of players signing up in the Finnish online casinos. Apart from safety, online casinos in Finland offer many more advantages.
Gaming Events Affected by Coronavirus
Game Developers Conference
The GDC, which is associated with Game Developers Choice Awards, award shows, and Independent Games Festival was scheduled for 16th-20th March 2020 but has been rescheduled for summer.
This was after significant participants like makers of development tools used in games and video game engines pulled out of the conference citing health concerns over the spread of the virus.
Other participants like Facebook, Sony, and Microsoft also pulled out for similar reasons.
E3 2020
This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has also been canceled. The Electronic Software Association announced the cancelation of the event scheduled for 9th -11th April due to concerns about the health of everyone involved.
As one of the largest gaming events in the world, this will be the first time the expo is postponed since 1996. Some of the publishers have already made plans to showcase their gaming products online.
Pokémon
Both Pokémon Europe International Championships and Play! Pokémon league has been canceled as the Pokémon Company is concerned about the players, volunteers and fans are at risk of contracting the virus during the events.
The e-sport organizers maintained that the points earned for 2020 would be rolled over to 2021 when the next season of Play! Pokémon will be held.
League of Legends
League of Legends developers, Riot Games announced the postponement of the event to 3rd-19th July. However, all Rift Rivals tournaments were canceled altogether.
The venue was not announced, but they hinted that they’d remain flexible as most international travels have been halted to stop spreading the virus.
Rocket League
The Rocket League Season World Championship, which was to be held in Texas, has been canceled, according to its developer Psyonix, due to coronavirus.
The company promised to refund all fans who had bought tickets for the event and a code with which they can access an exclusive in-game item of the event.
Call of Duty League
Call of Duty has canceled all of its home series events. The Activision Blizzard’s league has had its remaining matches all moved to their website, where it will be broadcasted live.
Overwatch League, also of Activision Blizzard, has also canceled all its March and April events due to coronavirus.
Conclusion
The gaming industry has taken safety measures to prevent their fans and players from contracting the virus. This has sent ripples throughout the industry as leagues, and major events get canceled. Some have taken to broadcasting the events online through their sites.
