The Japanese game rating board CERO is closing for nearly a month as Japan tries to deal with COVID-19. CERO is one of several gaming organizations that have had to change the way that they do business as developers like Rockstar Games and CD Projekt RED are now working from home.

On its official site, CERO, the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization, has announced that it will not be reviewing or rating any games until May 6. Japan has announced a state of emergency because of COVID-19 and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has asked people not to go out. In the United States, businesses like GameStop have had to close because of government orders, so few will be surprised to see this sort of thing happen in Japan.

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Tweets by GSK reveal that CERO cannot work remotely because the judging panel is made of "laypeople." To work outside of CERO's offices, CERO employees would have to go to judges' houses so that they can review them, which would go against the Japanese government's advisory. While some companies have found ways to work around these sorts of rules, such as Microsoft choosing to host digital-only events, it doesn't seem possible for CERO.

However, only some games may be delayed. Publishers typically submit their games to CERO months before release, says GSK. It seems that anything releasing in the months after May could be affected.

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Source: Kotaku, Famitsu