Overwatch League delays China homestand due to coronavirus
Image Credit: Bethesda
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Overwatch League playing Asian team Hangzhou Spark.

Overwatch League delays China homestand due to coronavirus

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

We’ve mentioned this topic several times already, but the Overwatch League made the possibility official just yesterday. The home games being played in China for the four Chinese teams in the league will be delayed until later in the season due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Recommended Videos

Making it official

As already mentioned on our website, three out of the four Chinese teams in the league had already announced they would temporarily move out of China. This included the Guangzhou Charge and, more recently, the Chengdu Hunters. But now, the official Overwatch League Twitter account has announced that the home games for China are gone.

This isn’t permanent, as they are planning to redo the homestand later on in the season.

Figures sound off on China and the coronavirus

This led to many different figures’ responses on this, with almost all of them agreeing this was the right call. It’s unfortunate, but with the circumstances that are occurring, it’s no doubt necessary. Avid reporter Arran “Halo” Brown took that stance not too long after the news broke.

Many others seem to agree with this, including other OWL teams like the Dallas Fuel and players like Becca “Aspen” Rukavina. The rest of the replies to the Overwatch League’s tweet are filled with people similarly expressing their support for this decision and their hopes that the Chinese people will get through this tough time.

How will this affect the League?

This is sure to affect the Overwatch League quite a bit financially. They were looking forward to franchising in China because of the size of its market. That’s why there are four Overwatch League teams in China as opposed to two in Canada or one in Europe. But with this cancellation, it means money that was supposed to be earned there will be delayed, and possibly just taken back. Those who had tickets for this event had planned on it being in February and March, not later.

Of course, this is less of an issue due to the circumstances of the decision. There is nothing else they could do given the coronavirus’ spread. It’s the right thing to do in the end, but it still could cause repercussions that we won’t see until much later on in the year.

Author
Image of Michael Czar
Michael Czar
Polish-Canadian game enthusiast. I've been entrenched in gaming for as long as I can remember, with my first game being Pokemon Yellow and my most played games being Borderlands 2 and Overwatch. I have a degree in Film Studies, but writing about esports just makes my job all the better.