LPL to return for 2020 Spring Split, will be played online

Feb 21, 2020

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The LPL is partially coming back on February 26.

In January, the LPL officials decided to postpone the 2020 LPL Spring season due to the coronavirus outbreak. At the time, most players were at their respective home towns celebrating the Chinese New Year and couldn’t return to the team’s facilities.

A month later, the LPL is partially returning to the action. The LPL announced that on February 26, the league will host a series of online scrims. The team participating in the scrims are Top Esports, Suning, JD Gaming, Victory Five, and eStar.

Other teams like Edward Gaming confirmed that some of the players and staff are returning to the team’s facility. EDG is making sure that everyone is disinfected and healthy before moving back in.

Hosting the online scrims is the first step before the full return of the LPL. This way, the league can test if moving to a fully online format is viable. The LPL must take into consideration facts like Internet latency and other possible challenges.

The coronavirus outbreak is taking a toll on China’s economy and is affecting every industry in the country. While it isn’t safe to host live events, the LPL is looking for the best way to resume the competition without putting the players and fans at risk.

If the LPL cannot resume the 2020 LPL Spring season, the league won’t have a representative at the Mid-Season Invitational. It would mark the first time in history that a major region misses and international event.

Will coronavirus affect the 2020 World Championship?

It’s not too early to start worrying about this year’s League of Legends World Championship event. The biggest international event of the year in League of Legends is being held in China, at some of the biggest arenas in the country. The coronavirus outbreak puts the entire event at risk.

So far, Riot Games is yet to make an announcement about any changes in the location. The developer is taking its time to share news and hasn’t even revealed the exact location for this year’s MSI.