How Will The Coronavirus Affect The Gambling Industry?

By now you must have heard the news about the coronavirus and its rapid spread across the globe. The number of victims and infested victims is on the rise on a regular daily basis and the entire planet seems to be keeping its eyes wide open on the hot topic. At the moment, world governments and health officials are struggling to cope with the epidemic of the COVID-10 or the coronavirus 2 that has been first identified in China. Besides the drastic death toll and the high number of currently infected people in China, South Korea, Italy, Iran and other parts of the world, there are other types of effects that are associated with the virus. Some of them are surprising and unexpected, such as interruptions in the launch of various gaming consoles and the organization of important gaming and gambling conferences worldwide. Let's find out more about the way the world of gaming is affected by the coronavirus and what it means for passionate gamers worldwide.

Changes In The Mobile World Congress

One big hit that the coronavirus seems to have had on the world of gaming was the cancelation of the Mobile World Congress that was supposed to be held in Barcelona in 2020. GSMA, which was the main body that was responsible for organizing the event, said the cancelation was a direct result of all the travel concerns connected to the coronavirus outbreak, along with the specific outbreak concerns and a series of other related problems. Officials in Barcelona replied that they fully understood the decision and even said that they will work with the city to plan and hold the 2021 MWC event. This year's event had been scheduled to be planned between the 24^th and the 27^th February.

Industry Giants Withdraw From The GDS 2020

Facebook, Sony and Kojima Productions have also chosen to withdraw from the GDS 2020 edition, which is another big hit for the industry. Nonetheless, these are not the only concerning news that can be associated with the fast-spreading of the virus. The industry is also reporting future delays as well as complete disruptions in relation to the manufacturing of the gaming consoles that were expected to be launched this year. The virus has triggered a great number of problems and disruptions ever since it was first reported in Wuhan, China late last year, and it has continued to affect the gaming industry on a continuous basis. The greatest effects have been reported in February. The gaming development studios and gaming console factories in China have been shut down for now, on a temporary business. Also, e-sports competitions have been delayed to a later time, and we can also mention official conferences like the Taipei Game Show or The Big Deal Conference.

Plus, the next-gen consoles that were highly anticipated by passionate fans will most likely only be manufactured and released to the public starting next year. We are, of course, talking about popular brand names and products like the XBox Series X or the PlayStation 5, some of the highest anticipated releases of the year. Provided the COVID 19 virus emergency does not find fast solutions, or, even worse, if it escalates, the interruptions and delays in the manufacturing processes and the supply chains could lead to further altering of plans. Without a doubt, the way the planet is fighting off the virus and the direct effects of these struggles will influence these manufacturing dates.

With 80,000 coronavirus cases recorded at a global level at the time when this article was written, the COVID-19 is, without a doubt, a very serious topic on its own. The gaming industry's concerns over the kind of impact the spread of the virus will continue to have on important global gaming events are, of course, fairly unimportant in relation to the bigger picture. The actual livelihoods of the people who work in the gaming industry in China and other parts of the world where the virus has already made victims is, needless to say, more important than the actual launch of some gaming consoles. Nonetheless, we cannot but keep an eye on the evolution of the delays and disruptions in this important industry so we can anticipate the future moves of the biggest actors in the industry. 

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