Japan game delays may be coming as the country enters into a month-long lockdown due to the ongoing pandemic. CERO — essentially the Japanese ESRB — have announced that they will be unable to rate any new games under these conditions.
“Since reviewers visit our office to conduct review, it is not possible for our staff and reviewer to work from home,” read a statement on the CERO website.
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“For this reason, all operations, including review (including those under review), will be suspended from today until May 6,” the statement continued. “All staff will be on standby at home, and the office will be closed during this time. We will announce the resumption of business on our website.”
Ratings organizations typically look at games later in their development and the results of those ratings are often published a few weeks in advance of the game’s launch. It’s possible that developers could work around this halting of game ratings in Japan, but Japan game delays may nonetheless be inevitable despite everyone’s best efforts.
Game Revolution recommends all readers comply with CDC guidelines and remain as isolated as possible during this urgent time. Visit the Centers for Disease Control at CDC.gov or the World Health Organization at Who.int for the latest information on the coronavirus and learn what you can do to stop the spread.
