The TwitchCon Amsterdam events scheduled for the beginning of May has officially been canceled by Twitch, citing “Coronavirus concerns and potential health risks” to the community.
Yet another massive gaming/esports event has unfortunately been derailed by the outbreak of the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. On March 6, Twitch announced that they had made the “incredibly difficult decision to cancel TwitchCon Amsterdam.
In the statement, they said they had been monitoring the situation, but ultimately decided that the “health and safety of our community, employees, and everyone else is top priority. ”
An important update on TwitchCon Amsterdam: https://t.co/PDYUMetQtn pic.twitter.com/SA1wVIs8mX
— TwitchCon (@TwitchCon) March 6, 2020
The event was originally scheduled for May 2-3, 2020 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre.
Twitch is offering full refunds to anyone who purchased a ticket, and cancellations are available until March 20. For people and companies who planned to exhibit at or sponsor the event, Twitch is offering them the full refund or the option to move their commitment to TwitchCon San Diego or TwitchCon Europe 2021.
Twitch’s Director of Creator Development, Marcus ‘djWHEAT’ Graham acknowledged that canceling the event was sad, but necessary “given the state of things.”
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Since 2015, I’ve worked on 6 TwitchCon events. It’s sad to have to cancel, but given the state of things, it’s a pill I am able to swallow. I still think this is going to take a few days to fully sink in. My 💜 is heavy for the entire Twitch community today. https://t.co/nDsoDv9qIy
— djWHEAT (@djWHEAT) March 6, 2020
The cancellation of TwitchCon Amsterdam is the latest in a string of gaming/esports events to be affected by the global outbreak of the Coronavirus. Twitch’s announcement comes just a day after Psyonix and Rocket League announced that their World Championships event in Dallas would be canceled due to the same concerns.
Prior to that, Overwatch League homestands, the playoffs for the IEM Katowice CS:GO tournament, LCK and LPL matches, and even the Valorant gameplay capture event for influencers had all been derailed by the outbreak.
Other conventions are at risk as well, as the Game Developers Conference was “indefinitely postponed” and E3 is reported to be considering a cancellation as well.
Reports surfaced that it could also affect the production of the next generation of consoles, meaning the possibility of the Xbox One X and the PS5’s release dates being pushed back.
We will provide any further updates with information regarding rescheduling of Twitch Con Amsterdam, as well as any other developments in the gaming/esports world as a result of Coronavirus concerns.
