The Pokemon Company Cancels Multiple Events in Japan Amid Coronavirus Fears
National Pokemon Day falls annually on February 27, but this year's celebrations turned out less than festive for Pokemon fans in Japan. Normally, The Pokemon Company commemorates the day in some way, and this year was supposed to feature events at Pokemon Center locations all across the country– but the threat of Coronavirus proved to be too great.
At the very least, Pokemon center stores are remaining open– it's just the National Pokemon day events that are canceled, which included workshops, mascot meet-and-greets, and more. Of course, The Pokemon Company isn't alone, as many things in Japan, and around the world, are being put on hold or canceled altogether due to the outbreak.
National Pokemon Day didn't turn out as planned, but it doesn't end there: it looks like Pokemon Center events are canceled for the foreseeable future as a precaution. The main problem is the crowds that Pokemon events would have amassed, and with so many people in one place, the health of everyone present is at risk– especially so for those with weaker immune systems.
It's not as though The Pokemon Company and Japanese game developers are acting unusually, as Japan has also closed schools through the month of March to prevent Coronavirus from spreading. The country already has over 200 cases of the disease to deal with, and is clearly looking to curb those numbers as much as possible.
Fans may be disappointed with the sudden cancelation of a fun day at the Pokemon Center, but decisions like this one are what keep the disease from spreading, and that's the most important thing. While coronaviruses are pretty common, this outbreak is a completely new type, and thus proving to be much more of a problem, particularly in Asia. The new strain of coronavirus was first discovered in China, and the continent as a whole is where people have been hit the hardest.
Due to the severity of the situation, it's not just the Japanese video game industry seeing a lot of abrupt cancelations; Microsoft, Epic Games, and Activision all pulled out of the upcoming Game Developer Conference (GDC). Those three big companies also aren't the only ones to drop GDC as there's a long list of companies that have joined them already, but then again, GDC has just been postponed altogether. Hopefully, all of these companies can regroup for a Coronavirus-free GDC in the future.
Based on current trends, it looks like gamers will have to buckle in and prepare for cancelations like this to happen regularly until the risk of Coronavirus subsides– everyone, not only Pokemon fans. Whether or not people agree with the decision, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Source: Comicbook
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