The Coronavirus pandemic has had a profound effect on the entire world and every aspect of society. As people are quarantined inside entertainment like video games will become even more of a focus.
The virus has already had crippling effects on the film industry, both with the shutdown of movie theaters and the delay of countless films. What about the video game industry, though? Video games are different from most other mediums, both in how they're made and how they're consumed.
Coronavirus could have lasting effects on the industry, but its likely things will start being felt sooner rather than later. This especially applies to many of the biggest upcoming games of 2020.
How Coronavirus Has Already Affected Video Games
Coronavirus has already affected the game industry, like most others, in terms of canceled events. The first event to be canceled was the Game Developers Conference (GDC), quickly followed by E3. These are huge events for both developers and gamers, and a huge blow to organizations that had already spent money in preparation. Past that smaller-scale events, like the midnight release of Animal Crossing and DOOM, have had to be canceled.
There are more profound effects as well, as both Nintendo and Sony have started preparing for the possibility of stock shortages, especially considering much of their production happens in China. Of course, these same production issues could happen with physical games as well. The greater effect, however, could come as governments and people quarantine and shut down workplaces.
Coronavirus and the Potential For Game Delays
Almost every big developer out there has enforced a work-from-home policy for their employees which, in turn, could slow down the development time for big games. As of writing, there haven't been any major game delays, but they're bound to happen at some point. The next round of DLC fighters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has already been delayed by Coronavirus because of reduced working hours. On top of this, the Switch port of The Outer Worlds has also been delayed.
Studios working from home simply don't have access to the same level of coordination and technology that they would in-studio. Massive games like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Last of Us Part II will, no doubt, see a drastic slowdown in development, even though working from home is obviously the right choice. There's also the subject matter of games like The Last of Us and Resident Evil 3. In the middle of a global pandemic, companies may not be keen on releasing games that revolve around viruses and outbreaks. The game mentioned are all titles that are announced, and there are likely countless titles that haven't been publicly announced that'll feel the ramifications of Coronavirus. What's most likely going to happen is a staggering of releases, and over the ensuing months the industry will start seeing more and more titles pushed back
Releases Could Go Digital-Only
One option that will likely become more prevalent is digital-only releases. As cities lockdown stores like GameStop are being forced to close down, meaning there will be fewer choices. On top of that supply chains are being disrupted as governments rush to get emergency supplies, which could lead to serious shortages of physical copies. The official Final Fantasy 7 Remake Twitter has already updated fans saying the game will still release on April 10 but it may be hard to get a physical copy. Amazon has also stopped shipping anything that isn't an essential item and, yes, that includes video games.
There's no knowing how long this situation will last, or when stores will be able to properly reopen. Digital purchasing options will be the main option for the time being, and publishers could even make that the only option for a while.