The company's North American division joins Microsoft and Bungie in their decision for employees to do telecommuting.
The coronavirus has significantly affected technology companies, which have suffered production problems, but have also seen how some of the most important fairs and events were canceled or delayed. This is the case of the GDC, which was scheduled for March and will finally take place later, on a date to be determined. In addition, companies like Microsoft and Bungie have announced their intention for their employees to work from home, a decision that Nintendo America also shares.
In a statement sent to Kotaku, Mario's explained that the company will allow employees to perform telecommuting. “Nintendo America has taken precautions when letting NOA employees in the states of California and Washington work from home. The safety and well-being of our employees is a number one priority. We will continue to observe the development of COVID-19 and share our concerns and our help for all those affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, ”they explain.
Nintendo of America headquarters. Photo: Pyrenil
Microsoft and Bungie, the first
In a message posted by Kurt DelBene, a Microsoft executive, the company asked Redmond and Bay area employees to work from home until at least March 25. Even so, there are some positions that need to be present in the office, but in those cases they have added exceptions, such as those over 60, pregnant women or people who have some kind of health problem. Microsoft "will continue to implement" mediated "clean and sanitize" those locations.
Bungie, meanwhile, has set up an infrastructure to enable telecommuting, since his studies are located in Bellevue, Washington, one of the areas reached by the coronavirus. "Bungie's approach to address the COVID-19 outbreak is designed to react to rapid changes, including how we will eventually reintegrate employees into our local offices once the threat of the virus has diminished," says the statement the creators of Halo and Destiny 2. "Although this is a big change for Bungie, we see it as a challenge an opportunity to improve our ability to create the same quality of playable experiences," they conclude.
The coronavirus has spread from China to countries such as the United States, Italy and Spain, where health authorities have taken steps to prevent a major crisis.
