KEY POINTS

  • Garena has decided to postpone its Free Fire Champions Cup 2020 due to the growing number of cases of COVID-19
  • The gaming publisher said in a Facebook post that it is not feasible to bring them from around the world together for the event
  • The Free Fire Champions Cup 2020 will be moved to a later date once conditions allow

The steady rise of COVID-19 on a worldwide scale has claimed its latest victim. Garena, an online gaming publisher for the PC and mobile has postponed its Free Fire Champions Cup 2020 due to the alarming cases of the virus.

“Keeping to our commitment of prioritizing the well-being of our athletes, fans and staff, it is not feasible to bring them from around the world together for the event,” Garena said in a Facebook post.

Instead, the Free Fire Champions Cup 2020 will be moved to a later date.

Medical staff members wave to a recovered patient at a makeshift hospital for the COVID-19 coronavirus patients in Wuhan
Medical staff members wave to a recovered patient at a makeshift hospital for the COVID-19 coronavirus patients in Wuhan AFP /

“We are exploring all possibilities to proceed with the event once conditions allow,” the post added.

The Garena Free Fire Champions Cup 2020 was originally scheduled on April 20 in Jakarta, Indonesia. No new date or venue was provided by publisher, said IGN.

Announced earlier this year, the Garena Fire Fire Champions Cup 2020 has a total prize money of $2 million.

In a similar way, Garena also said that it is "assessing the best way" for Call of Duty Mobile - Garena Invitational athletes to compete at the highest level while maintaining their health and safety.

We cannot and will not blame the organizers to postponing their scheduled games; they only want what's best for the players and their staff, and this includes looking out for their health.

The competitions will always be there for fans and athletes to enjoy. It's just a matter of moving dates and shuffling venues for the time being. But as long as COVID-19 continues to be a threat, we can expect more cancellations in the future.

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