• News

NorCal Regionals forcibly cancelled over coronavirus concerns

The NorCal Regionals fighting game tournament had hoped to go on, but with coronavirus concerns increasing, the Santa Clara county government has forced its closure.

Ozzie Mejia

March 10, 2020 11:35 AM

2

The worldwide panic over coronavirus continues to claim more and more events. Even those hoping to carry on are finding themselves unable to due to larger forces at work. The fighting game tournament, NorCal Regionals, was expected to go on as scheduled, though organizers were evaluating the situation by the day. However, the county of Santa Clara made the decision easier for them, as the local government has forced the closure of all mass gatherings for the foreseeable future.

"Today, the Public Health Department is announcing a mandatory order issued by the Public Health Officer requiring the cancellation of mass gatherings in the County," reads the post on the Santa Clara government website. "This order will take effect at 12:00 a.m. on March 11, 2020, and will remain in place for three weeks as more widespread testing becomes available and we are able to learn more about the spread of COVID-19. We are also announcing new, stronger guidance for the general public and for many specific groups designed to reduce the spread of the virus in our community."

As per county directive, NCR will need to be canceled. We apologize to all sponsors and attendees who were planning on this event. Please give us some time to begin cancelation arrangements including processing refunds to all. https://t.co/dAA56L3PDq

— John (@JohnChoiBoy) March 10, 2020

NorCal Regionals was originally set to take place in San Jose, CA from April 10-12. However, the government directive falls right in the middle of that, forcing the tournament's closure. Street Fighter V developer Capcom had already removed NCR 2020 from the Capcom Pro Tour schedule, while Tekken 7 publisher Bandai Namco has already pushed back the Tekken World Tour indefinitely. So while NCR's cancellation isn't expected to have further effects on professional gaming circuits, it's another example of the coronavirus outbreak continuing to wreak havoc on the esports world with no end in sight.

The NorCal Regionals organizers are currently outlining a plan to compensate those affected by the event's cancellation.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?