Electronic Arts have cancelled remaining esports tournaments for Madden NFL 19 following the tragic shooting in Florida which killed two people.
Its believed David Katz, 24, opened fire on fellow competitors at the Madden tournament at the GLHF Game Bar in Jacksonville, Florida after losing a match– killing fellow players Elijah Clayton, 22, and Taylor Robertson, 27, wounding 11 others, before killing himself.
Video game company EA, who organised the tournament, have since issued a statement saying theyre cancelling all remaining Madden tournaments and looking into a comprehensive review of their safety protocols.
Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts said: I wanted to share some thoughts about the horrific and senseless act of violence that occurred in Jacksonville at the Madden competitive gaming event.
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I know many of us, myself included, are filled with shock and grief. Our teams have been working non-stop to do what we can to respond to this terrible situation.
Speaking about the two victims, Wilson added: They were respected, positive and skilled competitors, the epitome of the players and personalities at the heart of our community.
Their love of competition was evident throughout their participation in our events over the past few years. We are committed to supporting Taylor and Elijahs families through this difficult time, and we send our deepest sympathies to their loved ones, to those injured yesterday, and everyone affected.
He added: 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 tournament was first of four qualifying events ahead of the Madden finals in Las Vegas in October, with other events scheduled in Dulles, Virginia and Santa Ana, California.
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