Esports matches resume in China with masked players and casters

Tencent’s League the League of Legends Pro League kicked off its spring split with online-only games

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Players and casters all appear on screen wearing masks. (Picture: Bilibili)

Josh Ye

Published: 3:54pm, 12 Mar 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) is big business in China, where it has hundreds of millions of fans and many high-profile sponsors. After a nearly two-months-long delay, the popular esports league recently started its spring split online. But now all players and game casters are wearing masks, which they’re required to do in game rooms and in broadcast studios.

Like the NFL or NBA, the LPL has a franchise-based system with home and away games, where hundreds of fans can show up to cheer on their favorite teams in a local esports arena. But with the Covid-19 pandemic growing around the world, all live audience events have been canceled.

The Overwatch League, which has four China-based teams, is another esports league scrambling to find ways to continue matches during the pandemic. After previously canceling matches in China, it’s now canceling all matches in March and April. The league said it’s working on a plan to continue matches online.

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