Psyonix has canceled one of Rocket League’s biggest esports events. The Season Nine World Championship live event was scheduled for late April, but it’s now been postponed due to concerns about the coronavirus.
“At Psyonix, we take the safety of our competitive players, fans, and personnel very seriously,” the announcement reads. “Due to worldwide health concerns surrounding the developing situation around the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we are canceling the Rocket League Season 9 World Championship live event as scheduled from April 24-26 in Dallas, Texas. We understand that this is frustrating, but health and safety will always be our top priority.”
The company announced that it’s “evaluating all options to replace World Championship play” and will provide fans with an update once it’s found a suitable solution.
The company also mentioned that the remainder of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) season nine will maintain its schedule up to the Regional Championships and Promotion Tournament.
Health concerns will also drive changes to RLCS and Rival Series broadcast. Starting this week, Psyonix will move the broadcasts “completely online for the remainder of the season.” The match schedule will remain the same.
Fans should receive their refund automatically if they bought their tickets through ETIX. But anyone who bought their passes from third-party retailers will have to contact them directly for refund information. The announcement contains more details on the refund process and the attendee in-game wheels.
This isn’t the first blow to Rocket League esports. In February, Psyonix postponed the RLCS opening weekend due to intense server issues, which made the game unplayable on several platforms.
