Riot has canceled their upcoming Valorant gameplay capture event over concerns with the growing Coronavirus epidemic. This was first publicized by an email leaked by Rod "Slasher" Breslau. 

“It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to cancel our Valorant gameplay capture events this month in LA and Barcelona,” the email reads. “We need to stand by our policy of putting Players first, and unfortunately this means steering away from our original plans to meet you in person at our events.”

Coronavirus has been a growing concern in the esports community. The LCK recently suspended all play over concerns with the virus in South Korea, and IEM Katowice was forced to play without an audience in Poland. A number of events in the FGC have also had their Capcom Pro Tour status taken away due to COVID-19, causing the cancellation of at least one entire event.

“To be honest with you, this totally sucks,” the email continues. “As integral members of the gaming community, we worked super hard to craft an experience to present our game and story to you in the best environment possible.”

To that end, Riot ends the email promising to have a digital solution available for playtesting “soon.” Valorant's beta has been much anticipated, as fans are eager to see how it stacks up against contemporaries like Overwatch, CS:GO, and others. 

Valorant has been making waves around the FPS community, with a number of pros (including CS:GO’s Swag) declaring their intentions of making a mark. It’s already stoked something of a rivalry with Counter-Strike, due to its similarities in gunplay.