Outer Worlds has been delayed on Switch ‘due to coronavirus’

Private Division has delayed Obsidian‘s The Outer Worlds on Nintendo Switch due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement published on Thursday, the publisher said: “We’re delaying Outer Worlds 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!”

The Nintendo version was previously due to release on March 6 and ship physically with a digital download code in a box.

Nintendo released the first images of The Outer Worlds running on Nintendo Switch earlier today.

China’s manufacturing sector, which produces the vast majority of the world’s consumer electronics, has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with manufacturing giant Foxconn said to be quarantining workers, according to Business Insider by Pulse.

As of midnight Wednesday, China’s national health commission said there were 28,018 confirmed coronavirus cases throughout the country, with 24,702 more suspected. The number of deaths from the coronavirus has now reached 563.

Nintendo has already delayed Switch hardware shipments to Japan and Korea due to the coronavirus.

While the virus has impacted Nintendo’s Chinese production site which supplies Japan and Korea, a Nintendo spokesperson told Bloomberg that US and European shipments are unaffected.

If the situation worsens, Nintendo said it may consider redirecting some hardware shipments from its production site in Vietnam, which primarily supplies the US, to Japan

At least one chain executive told Nikkei Asian Review that the situation could delay the production schedule of the next iPhone.

According to investment bank Jefferies Group, if the outbreak continues it could also affect Microsoft and Sony’s plans for the launch of their next-gen consoles later this year.

“The video game sector is currently manufacturing, or beginning to, a once-in-several-years’ product generation change for the 2020 holiday season,” the group said.

“If [company] shutdowns exceed a month or so, game schedules will be delayed. New consoles may likewise suffer supply issues from a prolonged disruption, ahead of their Fall 2020 planned launches.”

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