Hearthstone Masters Tour Los Angeles’ broadcast partially canceled due to coronavirus

Only the top-eight matches might be broadcasted.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

The “broadcast portion” of Hearthstone Masters Tour Los Angeles, scheduled for March 20 to 22, has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns, Blizzard announced last night. The players will be able to compete in online matches, however.

Recommended Videos

In addition to the offline event being canceled, all matches before the playoffs won’t be livestreamed. Blizzard is still looking for a solution to broadcast the top-eight matches of the tournament, though. “It is our intention to find a solution to showcase the Top 8 matches on Sunday,” Blizzard said.

Related: Evo 2020 still set to happen despite coronavirus pandemic

There are many ways to broadcast the top-eight matches of the Masters Tour. Blizzard could choose to simply broadcast them without commentary or with commentary provided by casters working from home, but that would require a good home setup and connection.

Players won’t be authorized to stream their matches during the Masters Tour “to preserve competitive integrity.” They’ll be able to upload them on YouTube the next day, however.

Yesterday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the state’s residents to stay at home. This order will force residents to limit outdoor movement to what is absolutely essential. He predicted that half of California’s residents could get the coronavirus in the next eight weeks. This announcement may have led Blizzard to decide to cancel the Hearthstone esports event.

Despite Masters Tour Los Angeles starting today, the qualified players and schedule have yet to be revealed. The matches, if they’re streamed on Sunday, March 22, will be available to watch on the official YouTube channel.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Cloud9 continues to shed talent as they exit further esports
Cloud9 logo
Read Article Hearthstone patch changes hint towards future Steam release
Mercenaries
Read Article Hearthstone Battlegrounds is getting a co-op mode
Hearthstone Battlegrounds announcement at BlizzCon 2023, on November 3, 2023. (Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment)
Related Content
Read Article Cloud9 continues to shed talent as they exit further esports
Cloud9 logo
Read Article Hearthstone patch changes hint towards future Steam release
Mercenaries
Read Article Hearthstone Battlegrounds is getting a co-op mode
Hearthstone Battlegrounds announcement at BlizzCon 2023, on November 3, 2023. (Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment)
Author
Eva Martinello
Eva is a Staff Writer from Paris. Her part-time job is charging into walls with Reinhardt. She has been covering League of Legends esports and other titles for six years. She still believes in a Moscow Five comeback. She also fell into the MMO pit and covers FFXIV and Genshin.