COVID-19 has caused many serious disruptions within the video game industry. If it’s not retailers shutting down, it’s shipments of major consoles getting suspended. These last few weeks have been pure chaos, and it doesn’t seem like there’s any sign of that process slowing down anytime soon. The Last of Us Part II and Iron Man VR have both been delayed indefinitely as the virus spreads across the globe. The delay has no end in sight so that’s painful enough, but something even stranger happened this week.
The Last of Us Part II has been delisted from PSN and digital pre-orders for various editions of the highly anticipated game are being canceled all over the place. Sony and Naughty Dog have begun issuing full refunds for any affected buyers though, so that’s some good news at least. One would think that digital distribution would be a godsend during a time like this when physical crowds pose a major risk to many people. But it appears that Sony is hedging their bets.
“The Last of Us Part II and Iron Man VR have been delayed,” a quick note on the official PlayStation Support website states. “All digital pre-order consumers will automatically receive a refund.”
Naughty Dog’s vice president and director Neil Druckmann said otherwise previously, but the circumstances appear to have changed a fair bit behind the scenes. After the delay of the new sequel was announced, fans were left wondering what could come next. It looks like the other shoe has dropped.
This is pretty bad news for all of those fans that waited weeks and even months for their digital copy. No serious explanation has been given, but it’s easy to understand. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be gaining steam in some areas of the world, and for many the worst is yet to come. There could be thousands of deaths on the horizon and companies are right to limit the spread as much as possible. Sure, the imposition of remote work across the games industry has put a ton of plans on hold, but it’s more than worth it to wait a few months if it saves lives.
