Japanese gamers may not get their Animal Crossing Switches as soon as they were hoping.
Nintendo
Nintendo on Thursday said the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China has delayed Switch production. Specifically, it’s impacted the Animal Crossing version of the hybrid console — Japanese preorders have been pushed from Feb. 8 to an undetermined date.
The Japanese company also noted that production of Switches generally, Joy-Cons and Ring-Fit Adventure is likely to be delayed too. It moved some of its production from China to Vietnam last year after the US-China trade war impacted production, Reuters reported, but it wasn’t enough to counter the impact of the viral outbreak.
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The Animal Crossing: New Horizons-themed Switch was meant to go on sale on March 13, a week before the game’s release. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on delays to US or European shipments.
As of Thursday, the coronavirus had claimed 565 lives and more than 28,000 cases had been confirmed globally — including 45 in Japan and 12 in the US. The pneumonia-like illness was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Dec. 31.
Along with the health risks, the coronavirus has had a ripple effect on businesses and global industries. Companies including Apple and Google have closed offices, limited business travel and experienced supply chain disruptions.
First published at 4:40 a.m. PT.
Updated at 5:09 a.m. PT: Adds more detail.