Evo 2020 is moving ahead with plans to host the world championship of fighting games at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas despite other events canceling amid the coronavirus outbreak, the tournament organizer announced today.
With other big-name events like Norcal Regionals, Final Round, and even E3 getting canceled, it looked like it was inevitable that Evo would be forced to close its doors. But the Evo team is planning to move forward as if the event is still happening this summer.
“At this time, Evo is moving forward with its plans to hold the event July 31 to August 2, 2020 at Mandalay Bay (subject to its re-opening),” the Evo team said. “But, we are still monitoring updates from WHO, CDC, local governments, and public health agencies regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus) and continuing to assess the situation.”
Evo president Joey “Mr. Wizard” Cuellar and his team have made it clear that this decision is subject to change. But the tournament isn’t set to begin until July 31, which gives them a larger window to survey the situation. Mandalay Bay suspended operations yesterday, however, with no timeline to reopen the resort outside of when management deems it safe to do so.
Postponing the tournament to a later date is also an option since the Fighting Game Community will have a busy second half of the year, but the team is still aiming to hold down that first weekend of August. In the case of Evo being canceled, however, the team promised that all tickets will be refunded.
“The health of our attendees and staff will be the overriding factor in making a decision,” the Evo team said. “Should Evo be postponed or canceled, all ticket purchases will be refunded.”
Mr. Wizard also confirmed that Evo won’t be raising entry fees for the tournaments at this time and will keep the early bird sign-up prices available for the foreseeable future.
If you still plan to attend Evo as a competitor or just to watch, be careful when purchasing your tickets and booking travel. You might want to wait until there’s more information about the coronavirus timeline available before deciding what to do.
Published: Mar 18, 2020 02:56 pm