Genesis 8 organisers have made the tough decision to postpone the massive Smash major, which was initially set to be played from 28th January to the 30th, scheduled now for the second week of April.
Via social media, the TOs explained that a massive surge in COVID-19 cases amid a widespread of the Omicron variant forced them to push back one of the most important events in the entire Smash community.
Hey all,
— GENESIS 8 (@Genesis_Smash) January 15, 2022
We've made the difficult decision to postpone G8 to April 15-17 due to COVID and operational concerns.
Full statementhttps://t.co/jZAcrDAEQs
Your registration will be moved to the new date by default
For refund/flight/hotel info see our FAQhttps://t.co/pycVop63k4pic.twitter.com/6KDG0pJYRC
"We had planned on many extra safety precautions, such as onsite PCR testing for staff, an entire second venue hall (100k sq.ft) to space things out further, PPE supplies for volunteers and staff, including a limited amount for attendees, sanitizing products all over the venue, and multiple hours long meetings with the venue and staff to ensure a safe and easy flow for vaccination check in. In spite of all the extra safety precautions we have planned, we still don't think we can provide a reasonably safe event in these circumstances," a statement from the organisers reads.
Across the United States, COVID-19 cases have spiked dramatically, reaching a historic one-day high of 1.4 million cases on 10th January. Out of those, 227k happened in California alone, where Genesis takes place.
Genesis 8 would've marked the return of the massive Smash Ultimate and Melee major, which also featured games like Guilty Gear Strive this time around, after a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last time the event took place, back in 2020, Panda's Tyler "Marss" Martins managed to upset Leonardo "MkLeo" López to take the Ultimate side of things, meanwhile, Zain Naghmi trumped Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma on the Melee bracket.
When is Genesis 8?
As we've mentioned, the event has been rescheduled, now targetting April, particularly the weekend starting on 15th April. This decision has cost organisers a hefty amount "into the six-figure range."
"Thankfully, we are fortunate to have a venue that could accommodate us and move the event to a viable date, something that not all events operating in this omicron peak have the opportunity to do, and we ask that you extend your understanding towards them," they added.
Featured image courtesy of Genesis Smash.