Overwatch

Seoul Dynasty May Homestand canceled, goes online instead

04/01/2020

Overwatch League (OWL) team Seoul Dynasty has announced a change in its upcoming May Homestand games. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 situation, their live game scheduled in Seoul will no longer happen. Instead, these games will take place online, without a live audience. The OWL is currently working out the amended dates for the event.

Similar to many other esports tournaments happening in the spring, the OWL has been making some changes to its upcoming games. In a Twitter post, Seoul Dynasty announced it has canceled its games on May 9 and 10. They are putting the safety of their teams and staff first and are looking for alternative dates to continue playing. Additionally, those who have purchased tickets for the live-event games will be fully refunded this week. Although there’s plenty of uncertainty about what’s going to happen, they assured complete transparency with their fans: “The league will continue to release future match schedules as soon as they’re available. Additional details about playoffs and Grand Finals will be released at a later time.”

[ Regarding Seoul Dynasty May Homestand ]#OWL2020 #TigerNation https://t.co/OpsaZdTEwM pic.twitter.com/WmxjiALW9e

— Seoul Dynasty 🐯 (@SeoulDynasty) April 1, 2020

Their next games will be online

The organization has instructed players, teams, and staff to compete and work from their location of choice, “without any fan attendance, travel, or unnecessary interpersonal contact.” Whether or not the team will play in the same house is unknown. Blizzard Entertainment did however recently state, “We are allowing teams to compete either from their offices or team practice facilities or from their own homes.” Since the games are going to be played entirely online, Seoul Dynasty may have to sort through technical testing and issues before broadcasting matches.

The biggest relief so far is the absence of a live audience. The scheduled matches were going to take place in their hometown of Seoul, Korea. As of March 31, the World Health Organization has reported 9,786 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Korea. The total death count is currently at 162, and healthcare workers are trying their best to prevent a worsening outbreak.

The OWL has faced several issues in the past couple months directly related to COVID-19 as it rescheduled and postponed matches. Daily Esports will continue to keep readers informed as more details develop.