These Video Games Were Delayed By Coronavirus

Recently, setbacks have plagued the gaming industry. 2020 started off with a bout of big name delays: Cyberpunk 2077 needed more time for polish, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake got pushed to April, and Dying Light 2 required extra love and care to fulfill the dev's vision. With the exception of Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it seemed games could not hit their launch targets.

2020 has more disappointment in store, with an increasing number of titles boarding the delay train. This time around, development has been stymied by an unprecedented crisis. The coronavirus has effectively put an indefinite halt to work on several much-anticipated games. 

Here are all the releases that have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first victim of the world being put on pause was the Nintendo Switch port for the swashbuckling, sci-fi narrative adventure The Outer Worlds. Taking PC-worthy graphics and crunching it down to fit the Switch is quite the feat, but the folks at Virtuos were up to the task. Virtuos is the name behind the Switch port of Dark Souls Remastered, so gamers could rest easy knowing The Outer Worlds was in good hands. 

No one could anticipate the state of the world in Spring 2020. The coronavirus has affected not only the manufacturing of Switch consoles themselves, but the development of games from studios like Virtuos, which has its largest office in Shanghai. The Outer Worlds port was delayed, missing its March 6 release date. Now, the port is scheduled to release physically and digitally on June 5.

Not all games have been lucky enough to receive a new release date. Hearts broke everywhere following the news that the much hyped The Last of Us 2 was delayed indefinitely. Prospective players have endured delays on the release of Ellie's revenge story before, but this time Sony has pressed pause on release because of the tragic state of the world rather than the state of the game's development. 

The official PlayStation Twitter account assured followers that, though this was a difficult decision, it was ultimately the best one, saying, "Logistically, the global crisis is preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve." 

Following this announcement, Twitter was rife with a mix of strained understanding, disappointment and rage, with much of the vitriol directed at the publisher. Several commenters accused Sony of delaying the launch out of greed. Still others insisted the wait would be worth it, no matter the motivations for the delay.

News of The Last of Us 2 delay overshadowed the fact that another Sony title has been put on hold due to the coronavirus. Iron Man VR, a PlayStation VR game meant to put you in the super-powered shoes of Tony Stark, has also been delayed indefinitely. The game was initially supposed to release on Feb. 28, but was pushed back to May 15. Now, it's unclear when you'll get to play at being a billionaire genius playboy philanthropist.

Right now, gamers are forced to acknowledge the wise words of Shigeru Miyamoto in light of all these delays: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." Practice patience and hope that no other titles fall victim to the global pandemic.

The coronavirus has presented unique challenges for the gaming industry. While working from home has panned out for some companies, others are struggling to complete projects without the support of their usual work spaces. Developer inXile admitted that its employees were facing some new, logistical issues after implementing a remote work protocol. These challenges have ultimately led to the delayed launch of Wasteland 3. 

The turn-based RPG was meant to release on May 19, but will now release on Aug. 28. This extra time will allow inXile to apply more polish based on the feedback from the Wasteland 3 beta. This delay was announced via a letter published to the official Wasteland Twitter account. Fans were overwhelmingly understanding, encouraging the devs to take all the time they needed.