EVO 2020 is now canceled owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers, in a short tweet in their official account, announced the cancelation due to the dangers of COVID-19.
All tickets and hotel reservations for the event will also undergo automatic refunding. In their announcement, the EVO 2020 team noted that the entire event would not push through. The world’s biggest fighting games tournament was to take place from July 21 to August 2 at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas.
Potential EVO Online Event This Summer
The COVID-19 pandemic ground 2020 events to a halt from the start. The highly infectious virus can go from person to person in large crowds. As most gaming and pop culture conventions expect a packed crowd, the concern for worse contagion is imminent.
Among the events COVID-19 canceled, apart from EVO 2020, includes SXSW 2020, Comiket, E3 2020, SDCC 2020 and Gamescom 2020. Many of these conventions will have online-only events to help entertain the fans. The EVO team announced the same, hinting about a potential “event” online during the summer.
According to the statement,
“Due to COVID-19, we are sadly canceling Evo 2020 at Mandalay Bay and refunding all purchased tickets. But to keep the Evo spirit alive, we’re bringing the event online this summer. More information coming soon!”
A message from the Evo team… pic.twitter.com/ANXUXDiNGK
— EVO (@EVO) May 1, 2020
EVO Team Considered Cancelation Early Into Coronavirus
EVO is a much-awaited annual event among fighting game fans. This eSports event allows pro-gamers to brawl in the hottest fighting games of the season. Their lineup includes Street Fighter V Champions Edition, Tekken 7, and Samurai Shodown, to name a few.
For the 2020 EVO event, the organizers planned a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 eight-player invitational. This invitational will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the much-beloved crossover fighting game. The organizers call this “Tournament of Champions”, which will include some of the previous MvsC2 champions.
Even during the early periods of the pandemic, the EVO team looked at a potential cancelation. On a March 18 tweet, the organizers were looking to move forward with the event. The organizers are also monitoring updates from various health organizations to “assess the situation”.
Event locations also don’t have any clear timeline of opening. Mandalay Bay and many other hotels will keep their doors closed until clear government directions with the pandemic are available. This situation makes any tech and gaming conventions in the near future almost impossible as well.
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