What started as an outbreak in Wuhan and the delay of the LPL in China led to a plethora of canceled and reformatted events around the globe. The Coronavirus outbreak has affected many aspects of esports, here is the list so far:
On Sunday, May 23, news broke that former Chaos EC player Arif "Next1" Keskin had passed away aged just 24 after a battle with COVID.
Six out of 18 teams to play in The Singapore Major, the first DPC event of the season, have reported COVID cases in their ranks and will either have to fly to Singapore with substitutions or skip the event altogether.
Four members of CBLOL's Vorax team have been tested positive for COVID-19 and will have to reschedule their next two matches, the team and Riot Games confirmed Tuesday. "Тhis week, four members of our
European Dota 2 team Burjui has been disqualified from the DPC EU Lower Division after admins discovered that the team had provided a forged COVID-19 test result in order to be granted emergency substitute transfer.
Roughly a week before the LCS 2021 Lock-In, Counter Logic Gaming had multiple members on its professional League team catch COVID. CLG is also experiencing visa slowdowns. They've signed two temporary subs, here is their new roster:
We spoke with Phreak about casting in the quarantine, caster bias, how the LCS needs to improve, and his recent addition of harsh criticism towards some plays and decisions LCS teams are making. Phreak has received abundant praise over the summer, learn more about how he has worked and grown here:
Riot Games has created special League of Legends skins and chromas, purchasable in the League Client, with 100% of the money spent going straight to the Riot Games Social Impact Fund, which will be used to provide COVID-19 relief. Read more about their campaign here:
Earlier this year, TSM released plans for a new "Performance Center," a place where TSM pros would not only practice, but also eat, lounge, exercise, stream, create content, etc. They'll be playing their LCS games from the closed facility this Summer, with permission from Riot Games. Read more here:
Dash spoke with us at Inven Global about all the new experiences running the Riot Games LCS broadcast remote. From tech issues, to adaptation, to embracing the "scuffyness" of casting at home. He is incredibly humbled by the work of all the Rioters behind the scenes, and is proud of how they're able to maintain a community and use their opportunity to grow it even further. See more here:
UPDATED 4/3 - LemonNation has responded regarding his health after testing positive for COVID-19.
The LCK was on break for 19 days. Because the circumstances were unforeseen, fans and all parties involved with the league were all very flustered about the news. However, among them, the teams
The LCS commissioner, Chris Greeley, announced early Tuesday morning that the LCS and Academy League would resume their season in an online format this weekend. The LEC then made their own announcement, confirming the same. Read more on the new schedule and format here:
According to a recent report by ESPN's Tyler Erzberger, the LCK is set to resume their season in an online format by the end of March. Read more on the story here:
In the wake of COVID-19 - AKA the coronavirus - Zénith Paris has canceled all scheduled events through April 15th, including the Paris Eternal Homestand. Paris Eternal was set to host their Homestand event on April 11th and 12th, but must now either reschedule or cancel their event. Read more here:
