The world has certainly been abuzz the past few weeks with concern over the coronavirus outbreak that has struck the planet. Numerous aspects of society have been affected by the disease, and the video game industry has been no exception. The Nintendo Switch version of The Outer Worlds has been delayed thanks to the phenomenon, and it has also caused many big companies like Square Enix and Sony to cancel their appearances at PAX East this past weekend. Now, it seems like the coronavirus has caused another cancellation, with the victim this time being the planned HyperX SXSW 2020 panel on eSports.

As reported on Prima Games, the HyperX SXSW eSports as a Live Event Entertainment Experience panel that was planned for this year has been cancelled due to concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus. The gaming tech company said the following regarding the situation in a statement:

HyperX’s priority is the safety of its employees, customers and the local community and is closely monitoring the guidelines released by the World Health Organization, including business travel restrictions to help prevent the spread of the virus.”

The event was intending to have special guest speakers, including Kevin Lopes of ESPN and Heather Garozzo of Dignitas. It is unknown if these guests will be involved with any HyperX panel in the future. However, it seems that HyperX is still planning on appearing at the event in some capacity to sponsor the eSports Lounge powered by Shacknews, as well as to provide the HyperX eSports truck. This may be a disappointment to gamers looking to see eSports talked about at SXSW, but everyone can agree that coronavirus is far from a game to be played with at this point.

What do you guys think about the HyperX SXSW 2020 panel on eSports? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to stay tuned for the latest gaming convention news, such as GDC 2020 being postponed due to Coronavirus, here on a Don’t Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!