Epic Games cancels the most important Fortnite tournament due to the coronavirus and Valve delays The International, another of the great eSports events.
First official consequences of the coronavirus in the competitive eSports season. Epic Games has confirmed that there will be no Fortnite World Cup 2020 and has canceled all in-game competitions and events for the remainder of the year. All tournaments that endure and take place over the coming months, such as the Fortnite Championship Series Invitation, will be solely and exclusively online. Through a series of tweets, the company has explained that it does not know when things will return to normal, but it is hoping to be able to celebrate the next Fortnite World Cup in 2021.
We don't know when a return to large, global, in-person events will be practical, but we're hopeful to be able to put on some form of Fortnite World Cup in 2021. In the meantime we have more info about online events with FNCS, Cash Cups, 3rd Party Events and Broadcasts.
– Fortnite Competitive (@FNCompetitive) April 30, 2020
The cancellation of the event, which was scheduled for next July, waiting to see how the measures against the coronavirus were progressing, marks the farewell to Fortnite's most important competitive tournament. Last year's edition, for example, was held in Queens, New York, and was attended by quite a few celebrities. It was open to anyone who wanted to participate, had millions of views online and became the most followed eSports event in Twitch history. He awarded more than three million dollars to its winner, the American Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf, who also had a good number of followers and became one of the most influential Fortnite streamers in the world overnight.
The International 2020 is also delayed
Valve has also made a move in the field of eSports and has confirmed that The International 2020, the prestigious Dota 2 championship, has been delayed indefinitely. The event, which in its latest edition had the highest prize ever distributed in a video game competition (more than $ 30 million), was scheduled for August and was to be held in Stockholm, Sweden. Despite not being one of the outbreaks of the virus, Valve has clarified that it prefers to postpone it "due to the volatility of the future, local restrictions in different countries and travel policies." In a press release, the developer says she does not have enough confidence to celebrate it or to communicate a new date, "but the event is likely to happen in 2021." The company is working from home to "structure the fall season" and although it is progressing slower than usual, it promises to provide more information in the coming weeks.
