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League/Tournament Brands:
- The Rocket League Season Nine World Championship, due to be held in Dallas, has been canceled in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Teams will play the remainder of the season away from the studio, with plans regarding the World Championship to be announced at a later date.
- This is the first major esports event to be called off in North America, following months of delays and cancellations in East Asia.
Psyonix has announced that the sold-out World Championship for its Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) season nine has been canceled. Originally scheduled for April 24-26 in Dallas, Texas, the event will no longer be held “due to worldwide health concerns surrounding the developing situation around the coronavirus (COVID-19).”
The game developer stated that fans who bought tickets and parking passes would receive a full refund by March 11, and the in-game Wheel made available to ticket holders will be sent via email code. Replacement options for the World Championship itself are still being evaluated and will be announced at a later date.
The RLCS and second division Rival Series are divided between a European and North American region and are usually filmed live in studio. For the health and safety of players and casting talent, games will move to online-only, with teams playing from remote locations. Plans for the Oceania and South American regions of the league, run by Lets Play Live and Rocket Street respectively, will be shared soon.
This season of the RLCS marked an expansion of the league to 10 teams in North America and Europe, from eight. In addition, Rocket League is due to be featured this year in the Intel World Open—an Olympic endorsed esports event that will prelude the Summer Games in Tokyo. According to a report by Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer, there are no current plans to move, delay, or cancel the Olympics at this point.
