Riot Cancels More Live League of Legends Events Due to Coronavirus Concerns

Riot Games has decided to cancel more live League of Legends events scheduled to take place in the next few weeks out of concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus. The LEC Spring Split matches will no longer host a live audience nor will they have on-site press attending the games to spectate them, Riot said. This change follows a previous announcement that moved the Spring Split Finals from Hungary to Germany as well as another announcement pertaining to another league of players when Riot announced that it would be suspending some of the live aspects of its LCS games.

The latest on the LEC Spring Split plans came from an update shared on League’s esports site. Riot called the decision to cancel live audience and press attendance throughout the rest of the split including the Finals a “difficult decision” and said it was the result of careful consideration after monitoring the spread of the coronavirus.

LEC’s Copenhagen-based Origen team will play remotely during this weekend’s matches as a precaution. The matches will still continue as planned, but they just won’t host live attendees.

“Last week we announced the Spring Split Finals would move from Budapest, Hungary, to the LEC Studios in Berlin,” Riot said. “We have continued to monitor the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic and the relevant policies and guidance being put in place across the globe to deal with it. After careful consideration we have decided to cancel the onsite audience and press attendance in the LEC studio for the remainder of the Spring Split, including the Finals. This is not a decision we made lightly, however the health and safety of our pro players, fans, press, and staff is and will always be our top priority. We will continue to monitor the situation and listen closely to the advice of health and governmental authorities.”

Those who’ve purchased tickets to the LEC events will be receiving refunds. More changes may be necessary, Riot said, depending on how the situation evolves.

Multiple competitive leagues have now been affected by the coronavirus across the various countries where League is played. Other companies besides Riot have had to make their own changes in the past few weeks by adjusting how their live competitive events would be held if not cancelling them all outright.