EA Sports has decided to cancel the remaining three Madden Class qualifying events following a mass shooting over the weekend at a Madden Tournament in Jacksonville, Florida. The decision was made in order to review safety protocols.
“We’ve all been deeply affected by what took place in Jacksonville,” EA Sports CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement. “This is the first time we’ve had to confront something like this as an organization, and I believe the first time our gaming community has dealt with a tragedy of this nature.”
It is expected that the entire e-gaming industry will have a look at strengthening and enhancing their security measures.
“I think the eSports industry as a whole is going to have to step back and take a look at further strengthening our security,” CompLexity Gaming founder and CEO Jason Lake told CNN. CompLexity sponsored a competitor who was injured on Sunday.
On Sunday, Aug. 26, 24-year-old David Kats open fired on a qualifying tournament with a semi-automatic pistol after being eliminated in the head-to-head round of the Madden 19 tourney. The shooting rampage killed two gamers — Elijah “True” Clayton, 22, and Taylor “SpotMePlzzz” Robertson, 28.
The tournament was taking place at GLHF Game Bar in Jacksonville Landing. The tournament was the Southeastern Qualifier for the Madden NFL Championship Series. The game was on XBOX One, with third-place winning $1,000 and the first- and second-place winners being flown to the Finals Qualification event.
