Bandai Namco has released a statement confirming that the upcoming Tekken and Soulcalibur World Tour sessions are being postponed.
Last night my time, Bandai Namco dropped the news that the qualifier rounds for massive fighting franchises are both being rescheduled. The decision is, of course, connected to the ongoing threat of Coronavirus. COVID-19, ha had an impact on a number of international gatherings and seen international travel restrictions hitting consumers and businesses across the globe. As a result, Bandai Namco has taken the decision to look after staff, organizers, competitors, and fans rather than take any risks.
Times and Dates
Effective immediately, the following events have been removed as official qualifying rounds for the TEKKEN World Tour 2020 (TWT2020) and SOULCALIBUR World Tour 2020 (SCWT2020) events:
TEKKEN World Tour 2020 (TWT2020)
• Norcal Regionals (San Jose, CA – 4/10/20) This event’s organizers currently intend to proceed with an event at the presently scheduled time and place, but not as a TWT qualifying round and without BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment’s involvement.
• The Mixup (Lyon, France – 4/18/20) – Planned to be rescheduled, date TBA
SOULCALIBUR World Tour 2020 (SCWT2020)
• Final Round (Atlanta, GA – 3/20/20) This event’s organizers currently intend to proceed with an event at the presently scheduled time and place, but not as a SCWT qualifying round and without BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment’s involvement.
• The Mixup (Lyon, France – 4/18/20) – Planned to be rescheduled, date TBA
The schedules for the Tekken and Soulcalibur World Tours both kicked off in Japan earlier this year and the set of dates above are far from the only installments already on the calendar. Bandai Namco’s fighters aren’t the only events to be canceled. Twitch Amsterdam was taken out and several developers I’ve spoken to are still looking at their options for London’s EGX Rezzed this month. In the end, public safety is the main priority here and anybody who wants to keep up to date on the plans for the rest of the Tekken & Soulcalibur World Tours can head over to the official Tekken World Tour and Soulcalibur World Tour websites.