A few days ago, we learned of the release date for The Outer Worlds on the Switch, but now the game has already been delayed. The Switch port for the game was set to launch on March 6, but the coronavirus outbreak in China has impacted Virtuos, the developer working on the port. Virtuos has also previously delivered the Switch ports of Dark Souls Remastered and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.
In a LinkedIn post, the CEO for Virtuos, Gilles Langourieux, said that although the employees of the company are safe, the limited transportation in the country has made it difficult for the team to work on the project. Virtuos' studios in Xian and Chengdu have extended their holidays until next week as a result of this inconvenience.
Shortly after, publisher Private Division tweeted that there wasn't any new release date for the game yet. They also stated that when the game is ready to release, it will also be available on cartridges as well as digitally.
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
The coronavirus has proven to have unexpected consequences on the gaming industry. Ealier today, Nintendo informed fans in Japan that the production and shipping of consoles will be delayed due to the outbreak. This also includes the anticipated Animal Crossing-themed Switch console.
Virtous has worked on many projects including Dark Souls Remastered, LA Noire, Heavy Rain, Batman: Return to Asylum, and art works for Uncharted 4 and Quantum Break. Its clients include Electronic Arts, Activision, Ubisoft, Microsoft, Square Enix, and Sony, among others.
