Amid fears of COVID-19, the European and North American League of Legends championships have been put on an indefinite hiatus. Fans of professional League of Legends expecting to get their weekly dose of the LEC and LCS matches will have to be disappointed.
Hiatus follows closed doors announcement in NA
On Thursday, the NA championship announced that LCS games will be played behind closed doors with no studio audience. The initial announcement came on Thursday from LCS Commissioner Chris Greeley, stating that games will continue but without a live audience.
An update on the 2020 LCS & Academy Spring Split and Finals from Chris Greeley, LCS Commissioner pic.twitter.com/cfbwb6Vrpe
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) March 13, 2020
However, on Saturday another tweet confirmed that after deliberations with team owners, the LCS was putting all games on hold until further notice. In the same tweet, Greeley also announced that the LCS would be holding the spring finals in its Los Angeles studio rather than in Dallas as previously planned.
Fears of infection pause games in Europe
Meanwhile, hours before the LEC games were scheduled to start on Friday, the European league announced that games will be put on hold until further notice. The announcement came after rumors that someone who had been in contact with a LEC staff member came down with the virus.
Important update about the #LEC pic.twitter.com/WSOZEQ21MZ
— LEC (@LEC) March 13, 2020
The tweet itself confirmed that while no one on the team was currently tested positive, a staff member may have been exposed and was under quarantine.
As most major leagues stall, Riot seeks alternatives
While Greeley has since tweeted that the LCS is looking into holding remote games and the LEC is likely considering this option as well, there are currently no details on when and how the shows will be back. Another major league, the South Korean LCK, is also on hold. Currently, the only major region holding matches is – somewhat ironically – the Chinese LPL which resumed games on March 9 after a break of approximately a month and a half. In addition to that, several minor leagues such as the Russian LCL and the Southeast Asia PCS continue unabated.
We at EarlyGame wish the best of luck to the players, team staff and league organizers of all regions and hope that the games will return as soon as possible. Our weekends are not the same without them!
