Why did the Halloween Bingo event in Cookie Run: Kingdom end prematurely?

Cookie Run: Kingdom players must know that the "Moonlit Halloween Night" and the "Boo! Sweet & Crunchy Halloween Bingo" events have been removed from the in-game Events tab. The premature ending of these events is tied to the unfortunate tragedy that unfolded in South Korea over Halloween weekend, ominously dubbed "Seoul Halloween Crush" by the media.

During Halloween celebrations in Seoul, thousands of people gathered at Itaewon, a popular spot in the capital's central area. Given that this was the first holiday since COVID restrictions were lifted, the area became dangerously overcrowded. In a stampede that got suddenly triggered, more than 150 people died.

Cookie Run: Kingdom developers declared a week of mourning and canceled Halloween events. They also released a statement expressing their condolences to the grieving families.

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Cookie Run: Kingdom developers were shocked by the tragedy

Several estimates now place the total death toll of the tragedy on October 29 at over 150. Roughly 100,000 people had gathered at the location. Nuhyil Ahammed, a 32-year-old Korean at the spot, described the incident to a local news outlet shortly after the crowds were cleared and the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. He said:

"People began pushing from behind, it was like a wave - there was nothing you could do. People were suffocating, screaming... getting squeezed... falling... there were just too many people."

Most of the injured are between 16-25. In the event's aftermath, authorities have admitted to a systemic failure to anticipate the effects of such a large crowd gathering in the narrow Itaewon alleys. Hong Ki-hyun, chief of the National Police Agency's Public Order Management Bureau, told a local news outlet:

"It was foreseen that a large number of people would gather there. But we didn't expect that large-scale casualties would occur due to the gathering of many people."

Given that both Cookie Run: Kingdom events were launched to celebrate Halloween, Devsisters have pulled the in-game extravaganzas in sympathy for the victims of this incident. An excerpt from their statement, released via the in-game news section, said:

"As many of you may know, tragic events unfolded at Halloween celebrations in Seoul this weekend, and a week of national mourning has been declared. In light of these circumstances, we have decided to end the Halloween events sooner than previously planned."

To compensate for these events ending prematurely, a standard amount has already been credited to every account participating in the event. This includes 5000 Gems, 1000 Rainbow Cubes, and 10 Magic Cookie Cutters.

Compensation by Cookie Run: Kingdom devs for events being pulled (Image via Sportskeeda)

Due to a considerable chunk of the Cookie Run: Kingdom community belonging to Korea, developers also urged players to be sensitive towards those who might have suffered directly or indirectly due to this tragedy.

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