Death Stranding developer Kojima Productions has temporarily closed its office and switched to working remotely. This is following an employee testing positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The studio released a statement on the same and noted that said employee was at home after testing positive.
“We are working closely with public health authorities and they have informed us that since this employee was not in the office at the time of symptoms onset, all other KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS employees are not considered ‘close contacts’, meaning that it is not mandatory to close the office.” Regardless, the studio opted to temporarily close and ensure the safety of its employees.
Along with providing support for the health of its staff, it will also sanitize its office facilities in the meantime. Any additional precautions that must be enacted will be done alongside public health authorities to “prevent further spread in any way possible.”
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has affected game development in a number of studios with the likes of Rockstar Games, CD Projekt RED and 343 Industries working from home. In terms of delays, we’ve seen Bethesda delay Fallout 76’s Wastelanders due to the shift to remote work. Some projects like Mojang’s Minecraft Dungeons may suffer a delay though it’s currently unconfirmed. Stay tuned for more details and updates in the meantime.
