Private Division confirms that the launch of the port, which is run by the Virtuos studio, is moved to an indefinite date. Change of plans.
Private Division has issued a statement confirming that the port of The Outer Worlds for Nintendo Switch scheduled for next March 6 is delayed to an indefinite date due to the Wuhan coronavirus. The Take-Two subsidiary has explained that the team in charge of port development, Virtuos Games, has been affected by the spread of the virus. Taking advantage of this circumstance, the team will have more time to work and the physical format version will include a cartridge, not a download code.
The essential: Virtuos Games employees are fine
"We have decided to delay The Outer Worlds (Nintendo Switch) because the coronavirus has affected the Virtuos Games team, which works in the port, and thus give them more time to finish the development," Private Division begins in the message posted on Twitter “Finally, we will sell the physical version in a cartridge. Once we have a new release date, we will let you know, ”they conclude.
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
Fortunately, Private Division ensures that the health status of employees is not at risk in any case; but as a preventive measure they will keep the offices closed until further notice. Operations are paused.
This information about the physical version had not sat well with the fans originally. The plan was that the box that will be sold in stores will soon not include a cartridge but a download code for the eShop, just as Take-Two has used to do with many other video games from its developer companies.
This information is produced only one day after the first official screenshots of the video game were shown on Nintendo Switch; a port that will try to represent with the greatest possible fidelity the achieved with the original version of consoles, nominated last year 2019 to Game of the Year by The Game Awards. The success of this new work by Obsidian Entertainment has allowed the editor to give the green light to an extension of the story through DLC content.
Wuhan's coronavirus and its impact on the video game industry
According to the latest official information reported from Beijing (via El País), the virus has already killed more than 500 people and infected more than 28,000 people; in China and in about thirty countries. International health forces continue to make progress in the search for a treatment that can placate and prevent infection, the extent of which already reaches the category of epidemic.
It is not only Private Divison the only company affected by the side effects of this disease. Nintendo reported days ago the risks that the infection could entail in the production of Nintendo Switch, whose main productive engine is in the Asian giant; A few days later a statement was issued confirming the facts and exposing the products that were going to be affected, a situation that will imply a shortage in the supply of the console in several territories.
