At the start of 2020, there were some jokes made about the many games that were seeing delays in the first half of the year, though that was before the COVID-19 pandemic really came in and flipped the industry?and the rest of the world?on its collective heads. Various publishers, developers, PR firms, and other individuals and companies all have different ways of handling the bizarre new-normal of remote work in the era of social distancing. A report from Jason Schreier in the New York Times indicates that some developers are opting to scale back the scope of their games rather than face delays under the new working conditions.
Schreier?s article discusses the various ways in which developers have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that is forcing development slowdowns due to new work-from-home measures and closures of various businesses critical to development and distribution. Sony opted to delay The Last of Us Part II and Iron Man VR indefinitely due to logistical issues with physical production and shipments. Marketing plans are being upended by the cancellations and inability to hold physical events. Developers and publishers who relied on events like GDC and E3 now need to adjust their plans to account for the lack of coverage to come out of those expos and conferences, which are now canceled.
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