A day before the tournament was scheduled to begin, NetherRealm Studios has axed many of this weekend’s Final Kombat plans due to coronavirus. As such, the Last Chance Qualifier event that would’ve been held tomorrow, March 7th, is now canceled. The live audience scheduled for Sunday, March 8th at Chicago’s Park West theater will no longer take place, either. All of these changes are due to “escalating concerns and cautions around COVID-19.”
The studio shared the news with fans in a Twitter post on Mortal Kombat 11‘s page:
— NetherRealm Studios (@NetherRealm) March 6, 2020
Refunds will go out to those who purchased general admission and Last Chance Qualifier tickets. Fans who had tickets should receive further details on the matter by March 13th. The post also advises those who incurred nonrefundable hotel or airfare costs to contact mk@intersportnet.com.
Despite these last-minute changes, Final Kombat 2020 is still taking place in some capacity. The 16 contestants and staff will attend the event, which will be streamed on March 8th at 11:00am CST. NetherRealm is additionally proceeding with plans to showcase Spawn footage and the Red Band trailer for Mortal Kombat Legends via the live stream.
Moreover, guest appearances are no longer on the cards. One guest in particular, McFarlane Toys CEO and Spawn creator, Todd McFarlane, has already shared as much with fans on Twitter.
Final Kombat 2020 counts as another in a sizable list of game events affected by coronavirus concerns. PAX East took a bit of a hit last month, with the likes of CD Projekt RED and Sony canceling their appearances. Following a wave of exhibitor withdrawals, GDC postponed what would’ve been its forthcoming event. At the time of writing, E3 2020 remains on schedule for its annual show in June, although, organizers promise to continue “monitoring the situation” in the weeks and months ahead.
[Source: Mortal Kombat on Twitter]
