The logistical issues Naught Dog referenced are worth talking about. Why they don’t expand on what, exactly, that means, we can take a pretty make some educated guesses as to what is happening.
As we’ve previously noted in the case of Final Fantasy 7, it seems that some developers and publishers are concerned regarding their ability to produce physical copies of games for retail shelves and to fulfill pre-orders for those copies. On top of that, GameStop and pretty much every other major video game retailer has had to shut down in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
As Microsoft’s CEO recently commented, there is also the issue of the market. The fact is that millions of people are losing their jobs as a result of the spread of the coronavirus. While it’s obviously not the biggest issue at the moment, that situation could greatly impact a game’s sales. It’s just not a good time to ask people to purchase a new console or even a new game.
We’ll certainly all have to keep an eye on how many other major releases are delayed for similar reasons. While Animal Crossing has sold incredibly well, and fellow VR game Half-Life: Alyx is also seemingly selling well at the moment, games like Iron Man VR may not be so lucky now that the situation has escalated. Even further off games such as Marvel’s Avengers and Cyberpunk 2077 may soon face similar delays.
