You may be tempted to dismiss this as media fueled hysteria and panic – and believe me when I say that has been my reaction for the better part of the last few weeks, as such thinkpieces have grown increasingly common – but at this point, I think the time has come to admit that this is a very real possibility.

There are many, many, many moving pieces that go into a console launch, and just one being disrupted can have catastrophic ripple effects for everything else (an easy example: as a result of having to move the Saturn launch up by four months, Sega could not stock all retailers with the console at first, which caused many of the spurned retailers to blacklist Sega and refuse to stock the console at all, further perpetuating the insurmountable lead the PlayStation was already gathering at the time). The existence of the Coronavirus is throwing such a wrench in many, many, many of those moving pieces.

The most obvious impact it is having is on manufacturing and shipping. Given that the virus is highly contagious (and may also be communicable by surfaces), there is a chance of it spreading through simple electronics shipments. Essentially, at any point, if anyone with the Coronavirus handles the console shipments, there is a chance that the virus lives on on the surface of the console boxes (or whatever part was touched), and is then transmitted to a healthy person when they touch it next. 

Even not accounting for the possibility of remote transmissions through surface contact, however, the simple fact that the virus exists, is highly communicable, and that there are multiple incidences of it in China, which is also where most electronics in the world, including consoles, are manufactured, means that those factories and production lines have to shut down now. They have to, because otherwise one unwitting victim could pass it on to everyone else who works there. And that worker could also, conceivably, lead to the virus spreading far beyond just that factory, through the possibility of surface transmission.

This isn’t just me performatively clutching at straws either, mind you. We have already started to see real, tangible effects of electronics shortages caused by Coronavirus induced disruptions. The Samsung Galaxy S20 is all but impossible to find in stores, and closer to the gaming sphere, Nintendo has confirmed that Switch supplies, at least in Asia and Japan, are going to be severely constrained as a result of production being impacted. Meanwhile, fitness game Ring Fit Adventure has seen similar shortages in the west.

If the situation with this virus doesn’t improve soon – and it must be soon, because if the consoles are to launch this November, production of the final models has to start in a few weeks at the latest – then we are faced with the very real prospect of them slipping into next year.

The counterpoint to this line of thinking is, Microsoft, Sony, and AMD have all confirmed that the consoles are currently on track for a launch later this year. And of course, that is the official word – they aren’t delayed until they are. But of course no corporation will even consider having to delay a carefully planned launch worth hundreds of millions of dollars, causing a massive hit to their bottom line in the process, until they have absolutely no other option. So until it becomes absolutely clear that there is no way the PS5 and Series X will meet their intended release date, we will keep hearing things are on track – even if they aren’t, necessarily.

There are other ways we are starting to see the Coronavirus impact the rollout of the next generation consoles. The most obvious of these is the cancellation of several events (GDC got pushed into summer, Emerald City Comic Con is delayed, Sony pulled out of PAX East, and even the ESA has announced that it is looking into possibly delaying E3 this year if the situation does not improve). Sony themselves have been at the forefront of being cautious with the Coronavirus, with the aforementioned cancellation of their PAX East appearance (and, outside of the gaming sphere, Sony was also the first manufacturer to pull out of the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, back in January).

A console launch needs a carefully orchestrated marketing campaign – even Nintendo, who pushed the limits of how short the lead up time can be to a console launch with the Switch (nee NX), announced it five months before launch, opening pre-orders two months prior. And if we take that as our upper limit, then Sony (especially) need to properly announce the PS5 by June – which is hard to do if they (justifiably) keep pulling out of events out of valid public health concerns.

This is not an attempt at fearmongering, nor is it doomsaying. There is a far greater chance that these consoles come out this year, as planned, than not. My intent here is not to convince you that they won’t – it’s to raise the possibility that they might not, and ask you to at least treat the prospect of that happening seriously, and start to prepare yourself for it. Because in the end, people’s lives are far more important than video games, and if Sony and Microsoft have to prioritize the former over the latter, we should all support that decision, not criticize it. It’s not like there is any shortage of great games to play on our existing consoles in the meanwhile anyway.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Larian Studios unveiled Baldur’s Gate 3 at PAX East 2020 with a story set 100 years after the second game and featuring a new threat in the form of Liches. The RPG will be going into early access later this year but the developer recently posted on Steam about the journey till now and what’s coming up. It noted how the fans were the final, missing ingredient in the development pipeline, reflecting recent comments about taking fan feedback into account with early access.

It noted that the Divinity 4.0 Engine was colloquially called the “Baldur’s Gate Engine” and had been designed ” from the ground up for Baldur’s Gate.” From 2017 till the game’s announcement, the development team has grown past 250 people but there are also 100 outsourcers working on the project. Everything is, “funded entirely by yourselves who dived so eagerly into Divinity: Original Sin 2.”

Larian noted that past games in the series have been dark and that “Baldur’s Gate 3 is no exception, though in 2020 we’re able to take the gamut of emotion and experience and stretch it further due to systems, simulation, and of course also our cinematics team.” One aspect of this wasn’t showcased in the reveal but the live audience at PAX East managed to see vampire spawn Astarion feeding on party member Shadowheart. Like many decisions in the game, this was based on dice rolls and choices from the audience.

It also resulted in Astarion coming off happy and Shadowheart winding up dead. The overall experience is going to be a Mature title and Larian wants “to push the limits of every theme within the game, which should allow you to play exactly how you’d like to play. Astarion may be a Vampire Spawn, but that doesn’t mean he has to be evil – if hungry. Though you saw one path at PAX East, there were many possibilities for good, and evil — note also, everything in between. It has always been Larian’s plan to create games that allow you to play however you wish. This larger team, and this new engine, allow us to push this further than ever before. Much further than Divinity: Original Sin 2.”

“As you delve into an epic adventure that subverts the binary morality found in many RPGs, and explore Baldur’s Gate with new and existing characters, 100 years after the story of the first two games, dice roll by dice roll, we hope that together we can reignite that great sense of discovery you felt as you dived for the first time into Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2, bringing the experience of an open-ended D&D game to photo-realistic realization, albeit with 5e rules in place of 2nd edition rules. Things have come a long way in 20 years, but what’s important to us is that you’re along for the ride.”

To further address any questions from fans, there will be a Reddit AMA on March 12th at 11 AM PT with the developers, including creative director and Larian CEO Swen Vincke. Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t currently have a date for its early access launch but will arrive in the next few months. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Even for those who never got into the first game, Owlcat Games’ Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous looks enticing. It takes the Pathfinder ruleset of gameplay into the Worldwound, a place where demons threaten to overrun. Players will lead a crusade to battle these demons, which you can check out in the gameplay below courtesy of Savage Gaming.

The gameplay video was taken at PAX East 2020 and as such, represents an early state for the game. Combat will look very familiar to Pathfinder: Kingmaker fans though the interface, effects and sound design is likely a placeholder for now. We do get to see a boss battle against a larger demon named Balor so that should give some idea of the available threats.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is slated to release in June 2021 for PC and is has currently garnered over $1.5 million in funding. The Kickstarter campaign still has six days to go with the latest stretch goal promising to add more attack animations. Stay tuned for more details on the game’s release in the coming year.

Larian Studios recently showcased the first gameplay for Baldur’s Gate 3, the highly-anticipated follow-up in the hallowed franchise, at PAX East 2020. The build showcased was pre-alpha and live gameplay (hence a number of bugs that cropped up) but we got a pretty good idea of how Larian is implementing the Dungeons and Dragons ruleset. There’s also that sweet cinematic opening, which you can see below.

The developer also confirmed that Baldur’s Gate 3 would be going into early access this year. Larian CEO Swen Vincke told PC Gamer that features like simultaneous turn-based combat are in the works and that player feedback will be very important. “If you look at Divinity: Original Sin 2 when it went into Early Access and when it came out of Early Access, it never would have been as good. So we want to give this one the same treatment.”

The early access build will feature the first story act and five characters with different Origins (which are essentially characters with pre-defined backstories and builds). These include Gale, a Human Wizard; Lae’zel, a Githyanki Fighter; Shadowheart, a Half-Elf Cleric; Astarian, an Elven Vampire Spawn Rogue; and Wyll, a Human Warlock. Players will be able to recruit these characters as companions during the story and also make their own.

As for the classes and archetypes available during early access, they’ll include Fighter (Battle Master, Eldritch Knight); Wizard (Evocation, Abjuration); Rogue (Arcane Trickster, Thief); Ranger (Hunter, Beast Master); and Cleric (Life, Light, Trickery). More companions will be added as time goes by, though Larian didn’t commit to a release date. Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently slated for PC and Google Stadia – stay tuned for more details.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bRyG5WpIMY

Larian Studios will be premiering the gameplay for Baldur’s Gate 3 later today at PAX East 2020. In the meantime, however, it seems that screenshots for the RPG have leaked courtesy of French site JeuxActu. They’ve since been pulled but you can still see the screenshots below. Spoilers, as always, for those who want to wait for the reveal.

The game does look fairly gorgeous though, from the darker, more DnD aesthetic to the close-up shots of characters during conversations. It appears players will be able to choose between real-time and turn-based combat options, as denoted by the icon above the action bar. There is a fair bit of Divinity: Original Sin’s aesthetic with how the action bar is designed but that could change later.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently in development for PC and Google Stadia. According to Hasbro at a recent investor event, the title is slated to go into early access later this year. Stay tuned for more details – the gameplay reveal will take place at 12 PM PST.

It’s been something of a rough couple of weeks for the annual PAX East conference. Due to the international outbreak of the coronavirus, many publishers and developers have decided to either skip the conference, or reduce their presence there. But the show must go on, as they say, and there will still be more than a few companies present. One of those is THQ Nordic, and today they revealed their lineup of the playable titles they’ll be bringing.

As announced via press release, the publisher will be bringing a mixture of upcoming games, as well as some already released. On the latter side, Darksiders Genesis will be there, not long after its console launch. Upcoming releases that will be highlighted are Desperados 3, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, and the remake of Destroy All Humans!

The three unreleased titles as of now do not have release dates, nor have we seen a lot of footage for any of them. We’ll keep you updated on anything that’s shown or revealed. PAX East 2020 begins tomorrow and will run until March 1st.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the Boston-based PAX East. The global outbreak of the coronavirus has impacted a lot of the industries, and the gaming one isn’t immune, unfortunately. A lot of usual members that attend the conference are dropping out, with Sony and Square Enix being two of the biggest ones. And another major name is out as of today.

As announced on her official Twitter, Stephanie Bayer, the NA Head of Communications for CD Projekt RED, confirmed the developer will no longer be part of the show. She does, however, say that she will still be at GDC next month (though it’s not clear if that’s just her, or if the whole team will be part of that conference).

CD Projekt RED is the just the latest in a very long line of companies to decide to stay away from major events. Not everyone has dropped out, but the attendance at the show has been significantly thinned compared to earlier years.

I just found out my team is cancelling our PAX East trip so I will NOT be at PAX East as previously planned.

I should still be at GDC though!

— Stephanie Bayer (@NSSteph) February 25, 2020

This is, generally speaking, a pretty good time of year for gaming. The big releases are starting to gear up, and there are several major conferences coming up back to back to back. But the recent outbreak of the coronavirus has changed plans for a lot of developers coming from the Asian region. One of the biggest causalities so far has been has been the upcoming PAX East, when Sony announced they would skip the show, followed then by Square Enix canceling a much anticipated Final Fantasy 14 panel. Well, it seems another one just hit the dust, as it was confirmed thatCapcom’s Monster Hunter event would no longer have its planned guests.

Via Capcom USA’s official Twitter, it was announced that while the planned Monster Hunter Festa event, as well as news on Iceborne, would still be in Boston, the development team behind the series would no longer be present.

It’s not stated this is related to concerns of coronavirus, but considering this is the same reasoning both Sony and Square Enix gave for canceling their plans for the show, it’s probably a good bet Capcom is of a similar mind.

An update on MH Festa: Boston 2020:

Unfortunately, our guests from the MH dev team will no longer be able to attend the event. We will no longer have an autograph session but are still planning to share #Iceborne news.

Our sincere apologies for inconvenience! pic.twitter.com/DVpQugYieS

— Capcom USA (@CapcomUSA_) February 20, 2020

The hype train for the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons is gathering steam. Nintendo have announced via press release that at PAX East later this month, they will be bringing the idyllic life sim title with them, and that it will be playable to the masses for the first time ever.

From February 27 to March 1, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be playable to attendees at PAX East, and it will be the centrepiece of what Nintendo are calling “a full-scale immersive experience”. As per Nintendo, said experience will “allow attendees to explore life-sized recreations inspired by the upcoming game’s idyllic island getaway setting.” That means you can expect to see real-life recreations of environments from the game and costumed characters from the series like K.K. Slider, Isabelle, and Tom Nook. Meanwhile, those who who play the game at the event will also get a Tom Nook-themed tote bag.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is due out for the Switch on March 20. You can get more details on the game via its recent Direct presentation through here. Recently, Nintendo have been reconsidering their controversial save data recovery and save data transfer restrictions within the game.

Sony was primed for a big presence at PAX East later this month, and with anticipation for the PS5 and more news on the next-gen console ramping up, expectations from their presence at the show were quite high. However, they announced last week that they were cancelling their PAX East plans due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in China (before cancelling their GDC 2020 plans promptly afterward as well).

In response, Marty Walsh, the Mayor of Boston – where PAX East will be taking place – has penned a letter to Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony, imploring the company to reconsider its cancellation (via WCVB). Stating that the chances of contracting the coronavirus in Massachusetts are extremely low, Walsh says that Sony’s decision is motivated by “fear”, and it “reinforce harmful stereotypes.”

“These fears reinforce harmful stereotypes that generations of Asians have worked hard to dismantle,” Walsh wrote. “They trigger our worst impulses: to view entire groups of people with suspicion, to close ourselves off, and to miss out on the opportunities and connections our global city provides. Boston is united in our efforts to dispel these harmful and misguided fears.”

The Mayor went on to ask Sony to “set a good example”, to be “motivated by facts, not fear”, and to show that they “believe in connection, not isolation.”

“As a large, international company, you have an opportunity to set a good example,” he wrote. “As a leader in technology, you can show that you are motivated by facts, not fear. As a leader in gaming and culture, you can show that you believe in connection, not isolation.”

Recently, Square Enix also cancelled their Final Fantasy 14 panel and fan event at PAX East due to concerns about the coronavirus (though their other plans for the event haven’t been cancelled).

Earlier this month, reports also emerged that the PS5 and the Xbox Series X might get delayed due to production delays and shortages being caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Read more on that through here.