The impact of the coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, continues to grow as multiple gaming companies announce delays and interruptions. The outbreak has disrupted life in China as daily activities in public spaces and workplaces are put on hold while officials try to contain the virus. With much of the tech industry, including gaming, relying on China for production and materials, a ripple effect is being felt.
Digital Trends is monitoring the situation, and a list of the impacts within the gaming industry follows below.
Game Developers Conference postponed
This year’s Game Developers Conference is postponed following concerns over the virus’ spread. The conference will be rescheduled to summer and all attendees will receive a refund.
“After close consultation with our partners in the game development industry and community around the world, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the Game Developers Conference this March,” says an announcement via GDC’s website.
The decision came after several high-profile game studios dropped out of the event including Microsoft, Sony, and EA. GDC plans to upload planned talks to its YouTube channel and stream certain scheduled events via Twitch.
Nintendo Switch production delayed for the Japanese market
Production on the Nintendo Switch for the entire Japanese market is in flux, leading to shortages of Switch consoles, accessories, and games. Pre-orders for the new Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch model now have no release date in Japan. Orders of Ring Fit Adventure, which is out of stock in the country, won’t be filled anytime soon either. Nintendo said other accessories like Joy-Cons are also affected.
A Nintendo of America spokesperson did confirm to Digital Trends, however, that the company does not expect delays in other regions, including North America and Europe. Nintendo makes its hardware for Japanese gamers in China, where the coronavirus has killed hundreds and continues to spread.
Outer Worlds port for Switch delayed
Beyond hardware, Switch players must now wait for a version of the game Outer Worlds. After announcing the 2019 title would come to the Nintendo Switch just last month, Private Division said on Twitter that the game is delayed. Virtuous, the Singapore-based studio working on the port, has experienced no health issues, the publisher assured, but its office remains closed.
Adding a positive note among the unfortunate news, Private Division said Switch players will get a physical cartridge option for Outer Worlds. Previously, the Switch game was only to be made available via download.
Oculus Quest back-ordered
Popular VR headset Oculus Quest is back-ordered, and it seems that it will remain so for a while.
“Oculus Quest has been selling out in some regions due to high demand,” an Oculus spokesperson told Digital Trends in an email. “That said, like other companies, we’re expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the Coronavirus. We’re taking precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, manufacturing partners, and customers, and are monitoring the situation closely. We are working to restore availability as soon as possible.”
The Quest is out of stock on the company’s website, Best Buy, and Amazon.
EVE Online’s Fanfest canceled
EVE Online’s annual Fanfest is canceled due to COVID-19. The event was scheduled to start on April 2 in Iceland, which just confirmed its first case of the virus.
“We realize that the situation a month from now could be very different, but the way events are developing both globally and in Iceland’s neighboring countries, an in-depth and serious review has made it clear that this is a necessary step to take,” explains a post on EVE’s website.
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