In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Riot Games has decided to suspend the 2020 LCS Spring Split until further notice, including all Academy games.
Additionally, the company has also revealed that because of the dynamic situation surrounding the coronavirus, it has been forced to move the 2020 Spring Finals from Dallas back to the LCS studio in California. This is also due to restrictions in North Texas that are banning all large-scale public events for the foreseeable future.
Those who already bought tickets to LCS matches or the finals will be fully refunded. LCS studio tickets will be refunded through Squadup, and Seatgeek will be refunding all finals tickets after around 10 business days.
As an alternative, LCS commissioner Chris Greeley said the league is testing if remote play would be a viable solution so that teams can still compete while staying in the safety and comfort of their own team headquarters.
This decision follows the same course of action taken by the LCS’s sister league in Europe. The LEC decided to suspend the 2020 LEC Spring Split, due to the coronavirus—although none of the staff or players tested positive, one of the staff might have been exposed to the virus. That staff member has been put into quarantine and is being checked by health professionals.
Yesterday, both the LEC and LCS announced it would be continuing the season without a live audience or press activities. Unfortunately, the global situation around the coronavirus has risen to new heights, with multiple cases popping up across the United States and throughout Europe.
