Nintendo Switch fans anxiously waiting for The Outer Worlds to make its way to the handheld hybrid are in for some disappointing news, as the Switch version of the game has been delayed due to the continued outbreak of the coronavirus, a disease currently ravaging many parts of the world. No new date for the port has been given as of this writing.
Taking to Twitter, Private Division, the publisher behind The Outer Worlds, announced the delay, naming the coronavirus as the specific cause of the setback. The office of Virtuous, the developer handling the Switch port of The Outer Worlds, has been closed temporarily due to safety concerns over the disease. However, Private Division was sure to mention that everyone at Virtuous was okay and that the closure was simply a precaution. Some eSports events have been canceled due to the coronavirus.
The coronavirus has had a tangible effect on the games industry since the outbreak began. While the humanitarian issues caused by the virus are a much larger issue, delays for various products have begun to spring up across the world, with some fearing that the coronavirus could delay the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The issues have grown far worse as the disease continues to spread across multiple companies.
This spread has lead to gamers drawing scary links between the coronavirus and Resident Evil, among other things. Coronavirus has become a safety concern for many countries, some of which have implemented drastic measures to try and slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Other countries have urged travelers to reconsider trips to China, where the outbreak of the disease initially began.
For the time being, at least everyone at Virtuous is safe. While the delay of The Outer Worlds Switch port is disappointing to fans, it certainly isn't worth the potential risks of battling the coronavirus. The spread of the disease has lead to some strange incidents, like an increase of Contagion being live-streamed. Hopefully, the disease is put under control soon. It's created more than its fair share of chaos, not to mention the other losses that come with it.
The Outer Worlds is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The Nintendo Switch version does not have a release date.