Update - March 27, 11:30am EST:
In a statement to Bloomberg, Sony affirmed that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has yet to have any major effects on the launch of the PS5, which is still planned for this holiday season.
This statement comes just nine days after the company told Dutch site LetsGoDigital that "coronavirus has not yet delayed the launch of the PlayStation 5 for the time being." Globally, the situation with coronavirus has only worsened in the past nine days, although some Asian countries - which, as manufacturing keystones, are the major factor in the PS5's launch - are now on the mend.
Original story:
Sony has offered more information about the impact of COVID-19 has had on its business plans for the ongoing fiscal year, suggesting that the future of PlayStation, its first-party games, and the PS5 itself could be heavily affected by the continued spread of the disease.
In a new statement addressing "the Impact of the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus", Sony revealed that its current estimates suggest "there will be no material impact" on its games and network services business for the current fiscal year, which runs until September 30, 2020.
However, the company warned that severe disruptions to its supply chains in Asia have had a "wide-ranging impact" on its manufacturing of electronic products. While PlayStation's next-gen console, the PS5, isn't explicitly alluded to here, that system is due to ship this Holiday, but Sony's outlook suggests a PS5 delay remains very much possible as a potential side-effect of these disruptions.
Lastly, Sony clarified that it is "carefully monitoring the risk of delays in production schedules for game software titles at both its first-party studios and partner studios", indirectly referencing the likes of The Last of Us 2, Ghost of Tsushima, and other, unannounced games expected to release this year.
While there are no known issues so far, Sony confirms, the impact of COVID-19 has already affected the launch plans of both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake, suggesting PlayStation could be dealing with the same situation in a few months' time. We'll let you know when we hear anything more about the state of next-gen amidst these turbulent times but, for now, check out everything we know about the Xbox Series X.
We've started a new series that pits the team against each other with some fiendish gaming tests. Check out Challenge Radar Episode 2 here.
