The Pokémon Company announced on Tuesday that it had decided to cancel the 2021 Pokémon World Championship. The next World Championship will take place in 2022 in London, the same city that was planned for the 2021 event.
“The safety and well-being of our competitors, organizers, employees, local communities and partners continues to be our top priority and is the primary consideration in every decision we make,” said the Pokémon Company in a statement on the Pokémon website.
Players who have been invited to the 2021 World Championship will be invited to return to the 2022 event. The Pokémon Company also said that all other events are part of the official game! The Pokémon event series will remain suspended until further notice from the company.
If players want to compete first, they will have to compete online through events like Play! Pokémon Team Challenge and Pokémon Players Cup. The Players Cup will take place from June and will include the Pokémon card game, Pokémon Sword and Shieldand Pokkén Tournament DX.
Other competitive gaming events were canceled due to COVID-19, including the Fifteen days World Cup and Evo 2020.
As for the future of Pokémon events next year, The Pokémon Company said it expects “an extended celebration for Pokémon next year”, but has not elaborated its plan.