WCG has announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s tournament “WCG 2020 CONNECTED” will be held strictly online to help protect the health and safety of players and WCG fans. Most matches will be broadcast live online to allow gamers and fans around the world to enjoy the games anywhere and anytime. WCG explained that the title “WCG 2020 CONNECTED” reflects the vision of connecting esports fans around the world by WCG.
Official game titles of WCG 2020 CONNECTED include Warcraft III: Reforged, CROSSFIRE, EA Sports FIFA Online 4, and Honor of Kings. WCG 2020 CONNECTED, scheduled will run for a total of three months, and will kick off on 7 September starting from Warcraft III: Reforged preliminaries with pro gamers such as Jae Ho Jang (Moon) and Ju Yeon Jo (LawLiet) of Korea and Xuwen Wang (Infi) and Xiang Huang (TH000) of China. Gamers entering the semi-final will play at the WCG 2020 CONNECTED Grand Final that will go on for four days, from 5 to 8 November. All Grand Final matches will be broadcast live between studios in Korea and China, without any audience in the studio.
WCG CEO Tae Geon Seo commented “WCG 2020 CONNECTED will offer a new and safe experience to the global esports fans, who must be feeling tired of all the restrictions coming from the coronavirus. WCG will present live broadcastings and increase the level of online communication to allow audiences to watch the games real-time and feel the intensity of the game. We will bring a new level of esports festival by developing a variety of content that can be enjoyed by not only esports fans but also the general audience.”
WCG 2020 CONNECTED will be broadcast live globally through 10 platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Afreeca TV (Korea), Douyu, Penguin, Huya, Bilibili, Kuaishou in China, ASTRO in South East Asia, and GG!! in Russia