Another week of coronavirus news is upon us, though the ongoing effects on the entertainment industry are becoming less surprising every week. In fact, at this point, I’m surprised when I find out there are still expos or esports tournaments left to cancel. Read on to find out what cancellations, delays, and new events in the entertainment industry are in store in this week’s coronavirus news roundup.
Movies and TV
As coronavirus continues to keep people at home, production slows on many projects. This week, one major delay is the production of anime in Japan. A number of shows are delaying the release of new episodes for the time being, with some shows planning on airing reruns instead. These shows include Pokémon, Digimon Adventures, One Piece, and Pretty Cure. While it’s an unfortunate consequence of the epidemic, this type of coronavirus news is hardly surprising anymore.
Marvel productions are also seeing delays in this week’s coronavirus news. The next Spider-Man movie has been pushed from July 16, 2021, to Nov. 5, 2021. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will move from its original release date of Nov. 5, 2021, to March 25, 2022.
While some shows are being delayed or canceled, others rise from the ashes. It was announced this week that Parks and Recreation will be returning with a reunion episode five years after going off the air. The episode is being created to raise money for the Feeding America COVID-19 Response Fund. Fans can expect to see the cast together again when the episode airs April 30.
Anime Expo 2020 was officially canceled this week. The event was planned to take place in Los Angeles in early July. The event organizers are already planning for next year’s event, which will mark the 30th anniversary of Anime Expo.
Gaming coronavirus news
Two more sports leagues announced their players will partake in online video game matches this week. The English Premier League had its 20 football/soccer clubs send players to represent the teams in a Fifa 20 tournament that began Tuesday. The finals took place last night, with Wolverhampton’s Dioga Jota taking top honors.
On the other side of the pond, NHL players are set to take place in a series of one-off NHL 20 games starting this Thursday. Some of the games will be broadcast on NBC Sports in the U.S. and Sportsnet One in Canada. The games are planned to take place over the following four weeks.
Sports aren’t the only form of entertainment moving online, as rapper Travis Scott’s concert in Fortnite was seen by more than 12 million people this week. As someone who didn’t even recognize the name Travis Scott before seeing this news, I’ll let you know that it’s worth it to go watch a video of the 10-minute concert if you missed it live. The visuals of the concert, including giant animations, an interactive underwater environment, and space, make it a marvel to behold for the technical aspect alone.
Of course, we can’t go a week in coronavirus news without another video game-focused event being canceled. This week it was League of Legends‘ Mid-Season Invitational.
As is also a tradition at this point, a video game release has been delayed. Those looking forward to playing Death Stranding on PC will have to wait a bit longer, as the release date has been pushed from June 2 to July 14.
The Japan Retro Game Association this week offered to loan up to 100 Super Famicon consoles to Japanese residents living with someone under the age of 16. The offer is meant to help fend off boredom children may be experiencing during the coronavirus lockdown. Time will tell how a new generation reacts to video games from the early ’90s.
Finally, in last week’s update, we talked about the Corona Relief Done Quick speedrunning marathon to raise money for Direct Relief. Over the weekend the event ended up raising more than $400,000 for the charity while entertaining thousands of people stuck at home. It’s good to know that despite Summer Games Done Quick being canceled this year, video game speedrunners are still raising money for an excellent cause.
