Play! Pokemon Suspends All Live Tournaments In 2020
It's a case of Pokemon no as Play! Pokemon has pulled the plug on all live tournaments in 2020. With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic having a devastating impact on the esports scene, professional Pokemon play has been hit harder than most. Despite some normality returning thanks to the likes of League of Legends Worlds 2020 coming to Shanghai, Play! Pokemon has decided to put things on the back burner.
When COVID-19 started to spread in March, the Pokemon Company decided to suspend all major Play! competitions, while promising it would keep an eye on things as the pandemic progressed. There's been a boom in the number of online events to cope with social distancing, meaning that while Play! Pokemon hasn't completely ground to a halt, physical play will remain remote for the time being.
Discussing the decision, Play! Pokemon explained, "In keeping with a commitment to ensure the safety of fans, players, and organizers, the Organized Play team is continuing to assess the situation. As of September 2020, we have determined that the Play! Pokémon Program will remain suspended through the remainder of 2020".
Play! Pokemon struggled thanks to the way it works. Usually, regionals would combine players from the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and Pokkén, competing together to earn an invite to the World Championship. There were hopes live events could return before the end of the year, but saying better safe than sorry, this won't be happening.
It's not all doom and gloom though. Play! Pokemon held the Pokémon Players Cup this summer, and is preparing for a second Players Cup that will start its qualifiers later this month. Elsewhere, Pokémon League at Home events will continue for the rest of 2020. As well as finding stores that will be hosting events, there's the League at Home for those who don't want to leave the comfort of their living room.
The other silver lining is the fact the 2020 postponement only applies to Play! Pokémon events. This means independent tournaments can still be held if organisers decide to go ahead with them. More news about the Play! Pokemon 2021 schedule will be revealed in November, so for now, you'll have to wait patiently.
With the next Players Cup streaming on Twitch, Play! Pokemon has been forced to adapt to the times to keep its playerbase engaged. Even if the lack of live events might be a drastic change from the norm, the professional esports circuit has to ask, "What's normal anymore?". One thing's for sure though, Play! Pokemon will hopefully back with a bang in 2021.
Stay up to date with all the latest esports and gaming news by checking out our social channels here: Twitter | Facebook
Images via Play! Pokemon
