REPORT: Pokemon Events To Shut Down For 2 Months Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Pokemon fans certainly do not want to catch them all, especially if it is the coronavirus that has been sweeping the globe and halting life as people know it.

In a rather unsurprising development, The Pokemon Company has canceled all Play! Pokemon events due to the increasing threat of the coronavirus -- also known as COVID-19. The postponement is initially set for two months, but the possibility of an extended hiatus is high.

According to a report by Game Rant, both Pokemon video and trading card game tournaments are affected, which could have major implications for ranking championships.

To note, players will be unable to earn ranking points during the suspension. Championship points are used for the ranking in large championship tournaments, but the ranking system will be severely crippled given the lack of events.

It is also worth noting that the Pokemon World Championships are slated from August 14 to 16, which now raises questions about how it will push through and how it will determine those who will qualify for the event given the situation.

The Play! Pokemon program has various events, such as Pokémon League, Pokémon TCG Prerelease Tournaments, Championship Series, League Challenge, League Cup, Premier Challenge, Midseason Showdown and Regional and International Championships.

However, given that the coronavirus continues to spread and affect various businesses and communities, it will not be surprising if more of the company’s competitions will be suspended or canceled altogether.

COVID-19 has undoubtedly had a massive impact on the gaming and e-sports industry. In fact, Pokemon Go recently made changes in its game to allow people to play even in self-quarantine or at the comforts of their own home.

On the side of e-Sports, Americas Pro League and World League for PUBG mobile have been postponed and will be rescheduled to a later date.

Meanwhile, the newly created Flashpoint for Counter-strike will be moved to online matches just to push through with the games.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently recommend not holding events with 50 or more people for the next eight weeks in order to stop the coronavirus spread. While organizations continue to find feasible solutions for this, cancelation and rescheduling of events are unavoidable.