Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
The COVID-19 global pandemic has forced a lot of organizations to make various unusual decisions in their efforts to keep business running. This is true in the video game industry where events have shut down and some manufacturing has been repurposed towards relief efforts. Final Fantasy 7 remake has been one of the most anticipated titles of the year and Square Enix is dead set on making sure its launch goes well. With that in mind, the publisher recently announced that European and Australian copies of the game shipped earlier than originally expected and could be in players’ hands before release date.
Square Enix announced the decision to ship early to Europe and Australia amid the coronavirus outbreak via the Final Fantasy 7 official Twitter on March 30, 2020. According to the post, Square Enix was forced into a situation where ensuring delivery of the game in these regions meant sending it out earlier than expected. Though they mentioned no stores in particular that might receive the game before its official launch, they also asked that European and Australian players that do receive the game early also be mindful of fellow players and avoid posting spoilers.
It’s a more than unusual situation Square Enix was backed into on this one with such a huge title as Final Fantasy 7 launching so soon. It’s actually a little surprising we haven’t seen more issues like the one outlined above. Even so, it’s also nice of Square Enix to be so transparent on the matter (even if it’s debatable whether or not players that get the game early will be as courteous about it).
With the coronavirus continuing to affect business across the industry, Square Enix had already addressed the possibility of the game arriving late in some regions, but to those who get to enjoy Final Fantasy 7 remake early due to the efforts made by Square Enix, good for you. Like Square Enix says, don’t be a jerk about it. Some of us have no choice but to wait till April 10, 2020 or longer when the game is officially set to launch on this 2020 gaming calendar.