8 Surprising Ways the Coronavirus Is Affecting the Gaming Industry

Gamers are understandably distraught over the recent news that E3 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus. But that’s not the only way the coronavirus has affected the video game industry. Here are eight surprising and unfortunate ways the coronavirus has impacted gaming.

Nintendo’s Switch production is delayed in Japan

After the lackluster performance of the Wii U, the success of the Switch has been a godsend for Nintendo. At times, it seemed like their main hurdle has been making enough systems to keep up with the demand.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus has complicated that issue quite a bit. Thanks to the Switch being manufactured in China, the sales of the Switch are delayed in Japan. This means that Nintendo’s original core demographic may soon have a Switch shortage on their hands.

As near as we can tell, though, the delay is only in Japan. Nintendo even promised that sales and pre-orders in North America and Europe would be unaffected by this shortage.

The Outer Worlds for Switch is delayed indefinitely

While Nintendo can promise that their own products won’t be delayed in most areas, they can’t make that promise on behalf of third parties. And it looks like the virus has already affected the Private Division port of The Outer Worlds to the Nintendo Switch.

The new release date for the game is unknown, and the company now plans to release the sci-fi hit on cartridge. With any luck, this will give them time to polish the features that much more.