One of two Bethesda-owned games coming exclusively to the Playstation 5 for a period of time when it releases, Ghostwire: Tokyo has been delayed into 2022. This news came in the form of a Twitter post in which they state this decision was made for the “Health and Safety” of their employees.
While not explicitly owing the delay to the COVID-19 virus, health concerns make it pretty clear that this is most likely the case. Currently, the country is experiencing another major spike of Covid cases which has yet again prevented its borders from being fully opened. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has declared another (the fourth total) state of emergency in the country, and all of this while the Tokyo 2021 Olympics loom, with a start date of July 23.
Tango Gameworks is based out of Tokyo, Japan, and was founded in Odaiba by game devloper Shinji Mikami in 2010. Due to being in such close proximity to the largest population in Japan, not to mention the location about to get an influx of athletes, most likely the company was affected before this decision was made. The country had just prior to this exited its prior lockdown, however, it is understandable many might be hesitant to return to the office at this point and time.
The irony of the situation is of course the plot of Ghostwire: Tokyo. According to their official website:
Tokyo is overrun by deadly supernatural forces after 99% of the city’s population vanished. Use a powerful arsenal of spectral abilities to fight the paranormal threat and unravel the mystery behind the mass disappearance.
I would imagine that Tokyo under a lockdown creates an eerily similar feel to what the game is aiming for. Ghostwire: Tokyo now aims for a 2022 release date and will arrive on Playstation 5 first as well as PC.
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A Nintendo Switch trailer was also released.
According to SteamDB.
An announcement trailer was also released.