It is impossible to deny the obvious. COVID-19, better known as Coronavirus, it is leaving a very clear mark on the video game industry. The cancellation of several important events has had its final icing with the announcement of the cancellation of E3 2020, a milestone in the history of the industry that could now go one step further. And it is that the situation that is being lived around the world due to the pandemic makes it increasingly clear that there may be a delay in the premiere of Playstation 5 Y Xbox Series X.
With more and more cases of contagion even within the industry, the coronavirus impact on the next-gen it is increasingly plausible. According to the firm DFC Intelligence, specialized in market research, the possibility of a delay is almost absolute. The team has published a report in Forbes in which he underlines that 2020 Christmas may no longer be the release date for PS5 and the new Xbox.
According to analysts in this group, "The Coronavirus probably has a large short-term impact on the launch of both systems«. They indicate that there is a "Strong probability that one or both systems will not succeed in 2020". In fact, in the event that they still manage to go on sale when they had stipulated, "supplies will be restricted and the initial price could be higher than expected."
With the price of the next-gen still a big question mark, despite the rumors that are coming, it may be that both Microsoft and Sony are forced to increase the sales figures to be able to supply the increased costs both components and manufacturing. And we must not forget that China has been the main affected by the pandemic, something important given the role it has today as a manufacturing country throughout the world.
An impact already anticipated for the next-gen, but also beneficial in sales
The words of DFC Intelligence align with those of Daniel Ahmad, an analyst who predicted that the spread of the coronavirus could be dangerous for the new generation if it lasted until the April-May period. Going back to this analyst firm, they have also managed to extract the positive side of all this, and that is that they anticipate that demand will be higher than ever: “The good news is that consumer demand is probably higher than ever. It will far exceed supplies and in the long run this could increase total sales. ”
What is clear is that the uncertainty of the current economic outlook will leave its mark on the new generation. Although a short-term announcement is expected for PlayStation 5 and news about Xbox Series X soon, or although the global situation stabilizes quickly, "the possibility of manufacturing and launching a new leading system has already received a strong impact," they point out from DFC Intelligence.
