COVID-19 and the game industry

As I finish my review of Ori and Will of Wisps, I wanted to touch on how the coronavirus affects the gaming industry. This latest virus has touched everyday life, from travel to many other aspects. One thing that may shock many is how it affects gaming.

Let’s start out by discussing the upcoming consoles for the holiday season. These new systems, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, are facing manufacturing issues. With these consoles being made in China and the outbreak of the virus there, a delay is all most certain. Factories are being shut down causing shortages in the supply chain. If the virus continues to cause havoc, I can see these consoles being pushed back until maybe spring of

2021 the earliest.

Another casualty of the virus is gaming conventions such as E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo is the biggest gaming event of the year, year after year. Since this event is a large venue with different groups of gamers, journalists, and game company reps interacting with one another, the fear is warranted.

I can see many other gaming events being cancelled throughout the year. The good news for gamers is the recent transition to direct shows on the different consoles. Gamers can still get the latest news, games and console information without having to leave their own living rooms.

We will have to see if it will affect game disc production. We will have to wait and see if upcoming physical media will have production issues. If physical media is delayed more and more players maybe going for the digital media.

Look for my review on Ori and the Will of the Wisps next week.