Blizzard just posted an update regarding an upcoming Masters Tour event. It was originally meant to be held in Bali, Indonesia, but it was moved from Asia-Pacific region due to increasing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. It was moved to Los Angeles and players were reimbursed up to $250 for the tickets they’ve previously booked.
However, since the virus has started to spread in US too, Blizzard has decided to change the stance and make Masters Tour LA online-only. The event will still happen two weeks from now (March 20-22), but over 300 qualified players will all play from their homes. This is probably the best idea given that qualified players would be traveling there from all over the world and then they might have trouble going back. Many similar events were delayed or canceled – for example, last week we’ve learned that GDC in San Francisco (one of the biggest gaming events) will get postponed.
All players who already booked their travel to LA and can’t get refunded will get up to $1,500 in compensation. They also advise to book flexible travel plans and obtain travel insurance for those who qualified to upcoming Master Tour events. No decision about those have been made yet, but Blizzard will monitor the situation.
Upon further review of the coronavirus situation given the broad international nature of our event, with invitees from more than 40 different countries, we have made the decision to hold Masters Tour Los Angeles entirely online. After initially relocating from Indonesia, we were excited to host the Masters Tour in Los Angeles, but the safety and well-being of our community will always take precedence over hosting a live event.
Adjusting travel plans can be a difficult ask, so we will be providing up to $1,500 in reimbursement for non-refundable travel arrangements to all qualified competitors who have already booked their travel to Los Angeles. All invited players will receive an email no later than March 12 with details on required proof of documentation in order to receive travel reimbursement. We appreciate everyone’s flexibility and patience in the meantime.
Each Masters Tour is a unique competitive experience, with more than 300 qualified players from over 40 different countries battling against each other onsite over three days. We understand that the vast majority of invited competitors travel to each event on their own cost without the support of a team organization, even taking time off from their jobs for a shot at becoming a Hearthstone pro. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this decision may cause—we love this community, and moving to an online format for Masters Tour Los Angeles is for the health and safety of our players with so many of them traveling from so many different countries.
We are committed to providing a safe and competitive experience for Masters Tour players. For players qualified for Masters Tour: Jönköping and beyond, we advise booking flexible travel plans as well as obtaining travel insurance. We will continue to monitor the evolving coronavirus situation and will provide updates on future events at a later date.
For now, join Dan “Frodan” Chou, TJ “Azumo” Sanders, Simon “Sottle” Welch, and Erik “DoA” Lonnquist as they cover all of the exciting Hearthstone matches during Masters Tour Los Angeles, broadcast live on youtube.com/HearthstoneEsports beginning March 20 at 9:00 a.m. PDT. You can find the full day-by-day schedule on the Masters Tour Los Angeles event page. Thank you to our community for your continued support and understanding.
will drops be activated?
No clue yet. They usually post more info a few days before event.