ABC and ESPN were set to debut the Apex Legends tournament show this coming weekend, but the show has been pulled.
That’s according to esports consultant Rod Breslau on Twitter, who says that both networks agreed to remove the show out of respect for those involved in the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.
While ABC has replaced the Apex Legends EXP invitational with a hockey documentary, ESPN will still air the highlights in October.
Since last year there has been an on-going debate into whether games are to blame for violent acts seen across America.
US President Donald Trump has recently directed blame at video games for the shootings seen across the country. He previously did this in February 2018 when Trump blamed games for the shooting in Orlando, Florida.
Organisations such as the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the International Game Developers Association Foundation (IGDAF) and the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) have refuted Trump’s claims, stating that other countries enjoy games whilst experiencing less violence than America.
"The decision was made out of respect for the victims and all those impacted in the immediate aftermath of the shootings and it seemed the prudent thing to do given the swirl of that moment,” said an ESPN spokesperson to Rock Paper Shotgun
ESPN and ABC has made the decision not to air the TV broadcast of the XGames Apex Legends EXP Invitational that was scheduled for this weekend, in response to the recent mass shootings, according to an ABC Affiliate TV station source pic.twitter.com/6BMwdbk93t
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 8, 2019
