One of the biggest Super Smash Bros. tournament series, The Big House, is canceling its 2020 event due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Usually, Big House hosts its events within the first two weeks of October, but outside of an online replacement, there are no plans on rescheduling for any time later in the year.
This move was expected, as many of the previously-scheduled LAN tournaments both inside and out of the Fighting Game Community that were set for September and October have been shuttering over the last several weeks. This is due to a large spike in COVID-19 cases within the United States.
The Big House team has been monitoring the situation and decided that it would be better to cancel the event early. And while it won’t be holding a LAN tournament this year, there are other plans currently in the works.
“While it’s heartbreaking to be unable to gather in-person, we’re currently looking at ways to keep the Big house spirit strong through 2020,” Big House said. “We have some great ideas and look forward to sharing them with you in the coming months!”
While it is unlikely all of the usual attractions will make a return for whatever online form Big House takes this year, with the introduction of community-made netcode to Melee, this should still be one of the biggest Smash events of the year. Project M could replace Brawl in the main even lineup, while Ultimate returns despite its subpar online experience.
More details about the revamped Big House’s revamped 2020 plans will be revealed in the coming months.
