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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the globe, its effects have been felt even in the gaming niche. “PUBG Mobile,” one of the most popular mobile games today, had to postpone most of its tournaments as a preventive measure to safeguard the health of its players and prevent the spread of the infection.
World and Americas Pro League events postponed
PUBG Corporation and Tencent recently announced that the “PUBG Mobile' World and Americas Pro leagues have been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, there is no date given when the two events will be held as the companies only said that they will be postponed until later in the year, according to Engadget.
“The health of our players, staff, and contractors are our highest priority,” Director of PUBG Mobile Global Esports James Yang said. “While we're saddened to postpone our tournament, we're dedicated to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”
The announcement is no longer surprising as Blizzard and EA also announced the cancellation of esports events as part of their strategy in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Non-tournament gaming industry events have been affected as well. For instance, the E3 has been canceled this year, a first for the annual event since it started in 1995.
‘PUBG Mobile’ Pro League 2020 suspended for two weeks
Meanwhile, the PUBG Mobile Pro League 2020 (PMPL 2020) tournament in Malaysia will be suspended for two weeks, according to the New Straight Times. This is in line with the nationwide restrictive movement order issued by the Malaysian government to help combat the spread of coronavirus infections.
Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the nationwide restricted movement order on the evening of March 16. The order will take into effect from March 18 until March 31, which means that the tournament will likely resume by April.
“While we are saddened to postpone the tournament, the health and safety of PUBG Mobile Esports’ players, teams, fans, and staff are our top priority,” PUBG Mobile Esports said in a statement.
“We would like to thank you for your support and kind understanding and will keep you informed on when the tournament will resume, once the situation is safe for everyone and subject to local government policy,” the statement added. However, it did not indicate the exact date of the tournament’s return.
