2020 Pokémon Championship Series suspended due to coronavirus
Earlier today, Play! Pokémon officially suspended the 2020 Pokémon Championship Series due to the coronavirus pandemic. This comes after Play! Pokémon initially canceled all sanctioned events through May 14 earlier in March.
Upon further monitoring of the situation, the organizers have decided that suspending all events was the right decision for the safety of the players and employees. This means that there will be no 2020 Pokémon World Championship or other regional and international events.
The 2020 Play! Pokémon Championship Series has been suspended. More details here: https://t.co/epaVEeCUwP pic.twitter.com/ggR1nRV5FP
— Play Pokémon (@playpokemon) March 31, 2020
What about players who won Championship Points this year?
As of right now, Play! Pokémon plans to host an expanded 20201 Championship Series. All Championship Points that players earned this year will roll over to the 2021 season. This includes points earned from Regional, International, and in-game events (such as the International Challenge coming up in April).
The 2021 Pokémon World Championships will take place in London since they weren’t able to host them this year. All invitations to the World Championships in 2020 will also be honored in 2021.
Play! Pokémon is monitoring the situation and will continue to plan out the 2021 Championship Series when they have more information. For now, all events will have to take place online and in-game.
How to participate in online events for Championship Points
Those interested in competing in online Pokémon events will need a copy of Sword or Shield, a Nintendo Switch Online membership, and a Trainer Club account. Players can search for online competitions on the VS menu. Currently, sign-ups for the April International event are active. Players who have their Trainer Club account linked to their game can earn Championship Points by competing in this event.
The coronavirus will likely continue to change the future of esports events. Be sure to stay tuned for more information on future Pokémon events. We will likely see several more online events that will award Championship Points towards the 2021 World Championships.
