Electronic Arts announced on Friday the postponement and cancellation of several Apex Legends Global Series and EA SPORTS FIFA Global Series events due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The first major for the Apex Legends Global Series has been postponed. This event was scheduled to take place March 13-15 in Arlington, Texas. EA also announced that the Global Series Online Tournament #2 would go ahead as scheduled on March 21-23.
EA also has canceled two FIFA Global Series events: the FIFA Ultimate Team Champions Cup Stage V that was supposed to take place in Bucharest on April 3-5, and the PlayStation Licensed Qualifying Event scheduled for May 2-3. The CONMEBOL eLibertadores Online & Live Event that was scheduled for this weekend has been postponed, although the eChampions League Online Qualifiers will take place online next weekend as scheduled.
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Like many event organizers that have canceled or postponed major esports and traditional sports events, EA cited guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to take necessary precautions for these events and other tournaments moving forward.
This brings to 10 the number of coronavirus-related postponements and alterations of esports and gaming-related events Friday, which included the Pokémon Europe International Championships and FLASHPOINT's inaugural Counter-Strike: Global Offensive events, among others. The popular tech and music event held every year in Austin, Texas -- SXSW -- was canceled Friday due to increasing concerns around the virus. It was scheduled to host an eMLS event, gaming expo and gaming awards show.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, originated in Wuhan, China, and has infected over 100,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,400, according to The Associated Press.