It’s been almost a month since we first talked about the impact the coronavirus was having on esports. There have been postponements of the Spring Split of the LPL and cancellations of the OWL homestands. While China claims it’s under control at home, the virus has spread all around the world. Massive outbreaks have taken place in South Korea, Italy, and Iran, with more countries reporting cases by the day.

Affecting Esports Around the World

The spread of the disease and mass panic following the coronavirus severely impacted esports events across the globe. Most importantly, the world’s biggest title, League of Legends. The virus outbreak caused LPL postponement. It also resulted in the VCS and LCK playing their matches behind closed doors.

No further information has come out on the VCS. Currently, we couldn’t verify if fans can watch their teams play now. The LCK remains steadfast on their ban and has gone even further to ban press coverage at the LoL Park venue.

Other regions also acted on the virus outbreak. The LJL decided to play out the rest of the split without an audience in attendance themselves. At the same time, the LPL is likely to skip the Spring Split following an announcement from the Chinese government. All sporting events would be canceled until April 30. The announcement later noted that there is no current specific date in which they can begin playing again.

The new Pacific Championship Series (PCS) was also delayed indefinitely but later rescheduled to this week, three weeks after it was supposed to begin.

The Fate of the Mid-Season Invitational

The Mid-Season Invitational, the big international event of the first half of the year, has also been affected by the outbreak. Riot Games global head of esports John Needham released a statement. He explained they had yet to announce the location and schedule due to the spread of the virus.

“I know many of you are waiting for the details of the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational–and we are eager to share them. However, as countries around the world respond to COVID-19, aka the Corona-virus, we’ve had to adjust our plans and delay announcing the timing and location of MSI 2020. While we remain committed to making the event happen, the health and safety of players and fans comes first and foremost, with the integrity of the competition a close second.”

He added, “The Mid-Season Invitational is a showcase of the best teams in our sport, and our goal is to meet your expectations of a globally inclusive tournament that sees the participation of all our leagues. I want to thank our fans, teams, partners, and players for your patience while we continue planning the event. We will update you as soon as possible with any relevant new information.”

With over two months until the event was expected to kick-off, fans worry if the MSI will still go on. Or, if other leagues like the LEC and LCS can have a live audience as the virus spreads to those regions.

We haven’t had an outbreak like in a while, at least since esports hit the mainstream. The long-term impact it will have on the industry is currently unknown. However, it’s sure to foil more than just Riot’s plans for their scenes this year. We’re sure to hear more from companies as the outbreak heats up. Stay tuned for more coverage as the situation develops over the coming weeks.