The COVID-19 pandemic has affected just about every industry on Earth, including the video game industry. Many games that were slated for release during the pandemic had to be pushed to later dates, and some still don't have a definite release date.
While Nintendo said many of their first-party games would not suffer delays at the beginning of the pandemic, that mostly applied to games that were close to release already. Work on games that were planned for further out had to be temporarily halted to comply with stay-at-home orders, though.
7 Delayed: SkateBIRD
SkateBIRD is an upcoming indie skateboarding game in the same vein as the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series but with birds instead of famous skaters. The game gained attention online for its fresh take on the old skating genre and for its character and world design.
Glass Bottom Games confirmed that the game would not come out in 2020 as originally planned due to the pandemic. The game is now set for release sometime in 2021, but the team didn't spend the whole quarantine away from the game. Originally the game was a series of levels and challenges with no real narrative basis – because of the delay, SkateBIRD will now launch with an added Story mode.
6 Delayed, Then Released: The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds, from Obsidian Entertainment, was a highly anticipated first-person RPG set in a futuristic universe. The game is developed by the same studio that developed Fallout: New Vegas and Knights of the Old Republic and was originally released in October 2019.
The Nintendo Switch version was slated for release in early 2020 but was delayed for several months due to COVID-19. The game was already close to completion, so it didn't take the team too much longer to get the port out post-quarantine, and it was released on June 5 2020 instead.
5 Delayed: Sky: Children of the Light
Sky: Children of Light is a game being developed by Thatgamecompany, the same studio behind the renowned experimental art games Flower and Journey. Sky: Children of Light is described as a social-adventure game where players interact with each other and fly together to explore the world of Sky.
The game is already popular on mobile platforms but was meant to have a Nintendo Switch port in 2020. Sadly, Thatgamecompany had to delay the port despite growing their development team. Currently, the game is slated for release in Spring 2021, but there's still no official set-in-stone launch date.
4 Delayed: Breath of the Wild 2
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the most highly rated RPGs of all time, so much so that Nintendo decided it was worth making a direct sequel to the game as the next entry in the Zelda series. The sequel was announced during a Nintendo Direct in June 2019, and nearly two years later there is no new information about the highly anticipated game.
While there was never an official release date to begin with, the announcement at the most recent Nintendo Direct appears to imply that the team wants to show off footage of the game, but not enough progress has been made. Normally Nintendo is good about trickling information through time, and even if this delay isn't due to COVID-19, one has to wonder why they are taking so long to reveal anything at all.
3 Delayed, Then Released: Star Wars Episode I Racer
Star Wars Episode I Racer Remastered was a Nintendo Switch exclusive that many fans of the old Star Wars games were eager to get their hands on. The game lets players take part in various podraces inspired by the infamous scene from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
The game was originally released in 1999 and was meant to be released on May 12th, 2020. Because of the sudden pandemic restrictions, the team actually delayed the game just hours before its release. Fans were initially disappointed, but all fears went away when the game finally released a month later on June 23, 2020.
2 Delayed: Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta 3 is in the same boat as Breath of the Wild 2, in the way that both games never had an official release date, but the lack of information since the announcement has fans disconcerted. The Bayonetta series came out of nowhere on the Nintendo Wii and is likely the company's most raunchy game.
Bayonetta 3 was announced back at the tail end of 2017, just about three and a half years ago. Since then, the character was added to Super Smash Bros Ultimate but no other details of her third game have been released. One can only assume a combination of COVID-19 restrictions and internal issues are causing the delays.
1 Delayed: No More Heroes 3
No More Heroes 3 is going to be a Switch-exclusive hack-and-slash game originally tentatively scheduled for a 2020 release. The series follows Travis Touchdown who in previous games sought to rise the ranks of the United Assassins Association. Now, he will face off against aliens.
The developers said the game had to be delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions, and tentatively aimed for a 2021 release. Now, the game is officially coming out on August 17th, 2021, ending a long wait for fans of the series.