RLCS injects $250,000 into Regional Championship after Coronavirus causes LAN cancellation

The Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Season 9 Regional Championship will be given a $250,000 cash injection in light of the cancellation of the World Championship, a decision made due to ongoing health concerns about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Psyonix will be providing the North America and European Regional Championship an additional $100,000 each. The additional prize pool will be split among the top four teams that would have qualified for the World Championship from each Regional Championship.

Oceania and South America's Regional Championship will each be given an additional $25,000.

In a statement put out on the 7th March, Psyonix has also promised to arrange more online regional tournaments for the four regions in lieu of the World Championship stating:

"Just because there won’t be a World Championship doesn’t mean the world's most exciting esport comes to a stop. We are working on a plan to bring you live online regional tournaments (NA, EU, SAM, and OCE) in the coming months that will continue to deliver the top-flight, high-intensity professional Rocket League you've come to expect from Rocket League Esports."

Psyonix made the decision to cancel the RLCS World Championship, the pinnacle of Rocket League esports, because of fears around the spread of Coronavirus joining growing number of events in esports that have been postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic.

They also scrapped the in-studio portion of the RLCS League Play show with the broadcast talent providing commentary and casting remotely. 

The RLCS returns this weekend with North America on Saturday and Europe on Sunday. There is also the RLCS doubleheader happening on Monday a rescheduling due to server issues that caused the postponement of the start of the season.

The new RLCS Regional Championship prize pool

North America and Europe

• First Place: $52,000 additional prizing ($70,000 now)
• Second Place: $27,000 additional prizing ($40,000 now)
• Tied for Third Place: $10,500 additional prizing each ($16,500 now)

Oceania

• First Place: $15,000 additional prizing ($37,500 now)
• Second Place: $10,000 additional prizing ($24,000 now)

South America

• First Place: $15,000 additional prizing ($23,000 now)
• Second Place: $10,000 additional prizing ($17,000 now)