The 2019 novel coronavirus strain temporarily shut down many businesses in mainland China after it broke out in early January, and among them were those involved in the Nintendo Switch.
The coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, and began to spread around the country and the rest of the world. Government action taken to reduce the chances of disease proliferation included the extension of the Lunar New Year holiday. This effectively put a halt to much of the manufacturing in the country, which produces many of the world's consumer electronics. The extended holiday period has now ended, potentially ending that delay but also - more importantly - putting more Chinese citizens at risk of infection.
2019-nCoV, also known as the novel coronavirus, has infected more than 45,000 people and killed more than 1,100, with the World Health Organization having said it's too early to predict when the outbreak will end, according to Outer Worlds Switch port was delayed by Virtuous – the port's Singapore-headquartered developer with several Chinese studios – as its Outer Worlds studio was closed to protect employees. Private Division noted at the time that all of the Virtuous team was safe. No other studios have announced major game delays, but it's reasonable to assume other China-based developers were temporarily shut down.
Another Switch-related announcement came with the coronavirus could delay Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles. A TechRadar report later claimed this was not the case, however, and the new Microsoft and Sony consoles would most likely not be delayed.
The esports industry has also taken precautions, as large collections of players and spectators could pose a big risk to those attending. Activision-Blizzard coronavirus caused Plague Inc. game sales to spike. Developer Ndemic Creations said this often happens around the time of disease outbreaks, but it warned players that, although it designed Plague Inc. to be a realistic depiction of the way diseases spread, the game is not a scientific model.
To learn more about 2019-nCoV, the novel coronavirus, visit the World Health Organization website.