Activision Blizzard has decided to cancel all in-person Call of Duty League matches for the 2020 season and will, instead, move them online in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The Call of Duty League’s official Twitter shared a statement saying that the currently scheduled in-person matches will now become “online-only competitions, effective immediately.” These matches between the 12 teams will be broadcasted live to fans with new dates getting “announced shortly, along with tune-in details.”

“The health and safety of employees, fans, players, teams, and partners is paramount to Activision Blizzard Esports,” the statement reads. “We are continuing to closely monitor COVID-19 (coronavirus), city-level recommendations and mandates, and all guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“After careful review and working in close collaboration with our teams, we are shifting all currently scheduled 2020 Call of Duty League live events to online-only competition, effective immediately. For details on previously ticketed events, please visit host team websites and follow their social channels.

“The new online-only matches will be broadcast live to fans. Dates will be announced shortly, along with tune-in details. Call of Duty League has seen firsthand the power of our live events in our inaugural season, and will return to city-based competition in front of live audiences as soon as it is safe and logistically possible.

“In the interim, Call of Duty League is confident it will continue to deliver fans what they want: amazing competition between the best players, competing at the highest level, for the right to be considered the greatest team on earth.”

The news comes not long after the Overwatch League made a similar decision earlier this week. A bunch of other events, including E3 2020, have also been either canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus, with companies exploring other options to get the news to their fans. Many are considering digital events, including Limited Run Games, Ubisoft, Xbox, and even the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the lobby group responsible for the annual E3 trade show. Here’s how companies are responding to E3 2020’s cancelation.

In other Call of Duty news, developer Infinity Ward recently dropped Warzone, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s free-to-play, stand-alone battle royale experience. We’ve rounded up a handful of tips to help you get some wins, and though you can play Warzone solo, we definitely don’t recommend that approach.

Kompletter Artikel: Call Of Duty League's In-Person Matches Canceled, Shifting Online Instead