Gaming festival Dreamhack has canceled another event in light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak. The Dreamhack Tours 2020 event in France, originally scheduled for May, is now no longer happening. In an official statement, the organization explained its next steps.
The open letter, penned by Dreamhack France president Jean-Christophe Arnaud, shares that they will stay in accordance with WHO guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the French-written statement translated by Daily Esports, the event organizers have taken extreme precautions. “This cancellation … follows the directives of the authorities made by the Ministry of Health to prohibit any gathering of more than 1000 participants.”
Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron enacted a ban on gatherings that included 1,000 people or more. The French government hopes this decision prevents the further spread of the virus.
🇫🇷 We are deeply saddened to announce that DreamHack Tours in France (May 8-10) has been cancelled. Read more below. https://t.co/M9876Ej0ez
— DreamHack (@DreamHack) March 12, 2020
Reimbursement and disappointment
The letter continues on to share more information about the cancellation. Dreamhack plans to keep all of their other events open and will adjust their schedules according to WHO updates. For now, they plan to reimburse all tickets and reservations made by their French Tours 2020 customers. Unfortunately, they will not reimburse transportation or accommodation costs.
Overall, the Twitter feedback so far includes disappointment and frustration. Many hopeful attendees had looked forward to the gaming festival. Of course, this isn’t the first esports and gaming event canceled so far. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many other gaming companies to adjust their schedule in accordance with WHO and CDC guidelines.
Dreamhack canceling their French Tours is also the opposite of their decision regarding their Dallas event. Although the virus is quickly spreading in the United States, Dreamhack still plans to go on with their Dallas event. This is a unique decision, as many other gaming events taking place in the United States have already been postponed.
Daily Esports will keep you updated as more COVID-19 information develops as it relates back to esports.
