US publishing giant Electronic Arts has suspended all of its live esports events for the near future due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.

In a post on its website, EA said that both officially-run and third-party pro-gaming events for Apex Legends, FIFA and Madden were being pulled, started on March 13th, due to worries about the pandemic.

There's no word as to when the company will start running these kinds of events again.

"Our priority is protecting our competitors, our employees, our partner’s employees and our communities. As we continue to monitor the situation around the coronavirus and receive updated guidance from health officials around the world, we will use this time to determine next steps for moving forward with all of EA’s Competitive Gaming live events and online broadcasts," the company said.

"Thank you for understanding. Please be safe and be well. We look forward to returning to our events and broadcasts when the time is right."