August 28, 2018
Video game publisher EA has canceled the Madden 19 qualifier set to be hosted by Philadelphia's N3rd Street Gaming this weekend outside of Washington, D.C., along with all remaining events scheduled for the Madden 19 tour
The decision comes as the egaming community mourns last weekend's murder-suicide at a similar event in Jacksonville, Florida.
The N3rd Street Gaming network, based in Northern Liberties, was slated to host the Northeast Qualifier for the Madden 19 championship beginning Friday, Aug. 31, in Chantilly, Virginia, located about 25 miles outside D.C.
It had been the next round of events scheduled until 22-year-old Elijah Clayton and 28-year-old Taylor Robertson were shot and killed at the championship qualifier in Jacksonville. The shooter, David Katz, 24, also shot and killed himself during the tournament. Eleven people were injured as a result of the shooting.
We are devastated to hear about the events that have unfolded in Jacksonville. Tournaments should be a safe place for healthy competition, and it’s difficult to express our pain and sadness at what has happened. Our sincere condolences go out to those affected by today’s events.
— N3rd Street Gamers (@N3rdStGamers) August 26, 2018
Though N3rd Street was scheduled to host the event, CEO John Fazio told Technical.ly Philly that they had been in talks with EA and that the future of the tournament was nebulous. Late Monday, EA announced all events were canceled.
A message from Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson: https://t.co/1lAIhcWLaG
— Electronic Arts (@EA) August 28, 2018
"The event was a qualifying tournament for the Madden Classic, our first Madden EA Major competition of this season. While these qualifying events are operated independently by partners, we work with them to ensure competitive integrity and to gather feedback from players," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement.
"We have made a decision to cancel our three remaining Madden Classic qualifier events while we run a comprehensive review of safety protocols for competitors and spectators. We will work with our partners and our internal teams to establish a consistent level of security at all of our competitive gaming events."
"The esports community is tight-knit and we stand together in our commitment to ensure violence like this never happens again," Fazio told Technical.ly Philly.
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