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The Outer Worlds Switch launch has been delayed as a result of the coronavirus, stated publisher Private Division (via Eurogamer).
We’re delaying @OuterWorlds on Nintendo Switch due to the coronavirus impacting the Virtuos team working on the port, to provide them enough time to finish development. We’ll now be releasing the physical version on cartridge. Once we have a new launch date, we’ll let you know!
— Private Division (@PrivateDivision) February 6, 2020
Virtuos is the developer taking the farcical space fantasy to the Nintendo Switch, and it is behind plenty of ports like Dark Souls Remastered, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, and LA Noire. Its largest studio is in Shanghai, and this is presumably where the team was working on The Outer Worlds. This studio has been closed as a result of the coronavirus and the game’s launch will be pushed back from its original date of March 6, 2020. “To clarify, the team at Virtuos is ok, but their office has remained closed during this time,” added Private Division. “We’re working with the team to determine an updated development timeline, and will share more regarding a new launch date shortly.”
Official Counter-Strike, Overwatch League, and Pokémon events to be held in China were cancelled due to the epidemic, and new stocks of Nintendo Switch coming from China have been halted. “China is important for manufacturing of some game hardware, phones and other components, and we believe that the entire supply chain of manufactured goods will be impacted—much more than just games,” explained industry analyst Daniel Ahmad. “When looking at games consoles specifically, we note that 96 per cent of video game consoles imported into the U.S. in 2018 were produced in China. Whilst companies such as Nintendo have moved some manufacturing abroad, China still accounts for the majority.”
The Outer Worlds is out now for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and is coming to Nintendo Switch in the future.
