Riot Games has canceled an official game capture event for Valorant due to concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak. Its unfortunate cancelation comes at a time when the game is riding a wave of popularity. Yesterday was a breakthrough day for Riot’s newest FPS venture, with the game and many of its details being officially unveiled at last. That news brought out a plethora of opinions and banter from professional players, streamers, and top community members.
Valorant event canceled
According to Rod Breslau, Riot Games had invited many professional players, streamers, and content creators to an exclusive gameplay event. An email went out earlier today, however, notifying them of its cancelation.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to cancel our VALORANT gameplay capture events this month in Los Angeles and Barcelona. Due to unforeseen circumstances surrounding COVID-19 (coronavirus), as a company, we need to stand by our policy of putting Players first, and unfortunately, this means steering away from our original plans to meet you in person at our event.”
The email expresses the organization’s disappointment in no longer providing an on-site experience for the community members. As such, the team is working on a “digital solution which will let you get your hands on the game from the comfort of your home setups.”
The correspondence does not reveal further details regarding when this “digital solution” will become available. Additionally, we also don’t know whether or not early access material will become accessible to the general public via live streams or videos from content creators. Community members will have to wait for further information regarding future beta opportunities or gameplay events.
The coronavirus continues causing chaos
Recently, the coronavirus has dramatically impacted the esports and gaming community. One of the largest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments, IEM Katowice 2020, was barred by the local government from hosting a live audience. Despite the organization being proactive in implementing safety measures, health officials considered the event too high of medical risk. Furthermore, Bandai Namco postponed Tokyo Masters due to health safety concerns. For now, we can only hope that the virus will be dealt with soon.
