Evo 2020 Is Not Canceled Yet, Monitoring Coronavirus

The massive fighting game tournament Evo Championship Series (Evo) is scheduled to begin this July, and despite the ongoing threat of coronavirus, its organizers are not cancelling yet.

In a post on Twitter, Evo organizers said they are monitoring the outbreak and are monitoring updates from local agencies as well as the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control to best assess the situation. As of now, the Mandalay Bay Resort where Evo was scheduled to be held has closed, and Evo's organizers are assuming it will be open by the July 31 start date.

Planned game tournaments for Evo 2020 include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Granblue Fantasy Versus, Samurai Shodown, Tekken 7, Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r], and SoulCalibur VI. Last year's Mortal Kombat 11 is not included.

Should Evo 2020 be canceled, ticket purchases will be refunded. Those who have purchased plane tickets to attend could be out of luck, particularly if organizers wait much longer before making a final decision on the event.

Alongside movie and entertainment delays, several other major gaming conventions and events have already been canceled, including E3 2020. It was scheduled for one month before Evo 2020. Though game announcements can be moved to digital presentations in the case of E3 2020, there isn't really an online-only option for Evo 2020. Latency and accuracy play a large role in competitive fighting games, and any lag would compromise the integrity of results.