Bandai Namco has announced that it will be rescheduling several upcoming World Tour events for both Tekken and Soulcalibur. This newest round of tournament changes comes after both Riot Games and The Pokémon Company announced similar changes due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Earlier this week Bandai Namco postponed the Tokyo Tekken Masters due to similar concerns. Bandai Namco released a statement on their esports-dedicated Twitter account that clarified its decision to reschedule the upcoming events.
“After careful deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to reschedule the upcoming TEKKEN World Tour 2020 (TWT2020) and SOULCALIBUR World Tour 2020 (SCWT2020) events due to continued concerns regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus,” wrote Bandai Namco in a public statement. “This is not a decision we take lightly and the safety and security of the community is of the utmost importance to us.”
Please visit https://t.co/ijbwoioOUd and https://t.co/MVALgBJyil for more details. pic.twitter.com/J97QYdQb9A
— Bandai Namco Esports (@BNEesports) March 6, 2020
TEKKEN World Tour 2020 changes
The NorCal Regionals in San Jose, CA has been removed as a TEKKEN World Tour qualifying round. Bandai Namco has stated that it will not be involved with the tournament moving forward. The NorCal Regionals is still proceeding as planned this April 10-12 according to tournament organizer John Choi. Choi did state, however, that they will continue to monitor the situation. If they feel the NorCal Regionals cannot ensure the public’s safety, they will cancel the event.
The decision to delay the TEKKEN World Tour this year also delays the opening of the 2020 TWT Dojo Events. Once Bandai Namco establishes new dates for their World Tour events, they will provide more information on the Dojo series.
Soulcalibur World Tour 2020 changes
Similarly to the NorCal Regionals, Final Round was removed as a Soulcalibur World Tour qualifying event. Bandai Namco will also be removing all involvement with the tournament. As of this writing, Final Round will otherwise be continuing as scheduled March 20-22 in Atlanta, GA.
Bandai Namco will also be rescheduling events at The Mixup in Lyon, France. Originally scheduled for April 18-19, Bandai Namco’s delay coincides with the event’s decision to reschedule for July 18-19. Bandai Namco also made clear that The Mixup will continue to be a TWT2020 Masters and Edge Master event and would announce more information about the rescheduling soon.
Whether you’re traveling for an event or in your day-to-day, make sure to follow recommended prevention techniques to stay healthy. Follow Daily Esports as the COVID-19 coronavirus disease continues to affect the esports community.
