Yakuza: Of the End, Motorstorm: Apocalypse delayed in Japan; Disaster Report 4 canceled
Citing "various circumstances," both Sega and Sony have announced delays of major game releases, reports Andriasang, while Irem has outright canceled Disaster Report 4. Sega announced that Yakuza: Of the End has been pushed back to a "TBA" release date in Japan, while Sony has altered the MotorStorm: Apocalypse launch to "TBA," as well. both titles were scheduled to be released in Japan this Thursday, March 17.
While neither company directly cited the massive earthquake and devastating tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 as the cause of the delays, it's evident that the disaster prompted the moves; though it's unknown if the reasons extend beyond the two games' disaster-themed premises. Andriasang also reports that Sony has temporarily closed its PlayStation repair and information center, located in one of the worst hit areas of Japan, the Miyagi Prefecture. Just yesterday, Square Enix temporarily shut down the Final Fantasy XI and XIV servers to conserve power in the country.
Meanwhile, Irem has canceled Disaster Report 4 without citing a specific reason, according to Andriasang. As the title suggests, DR4 centers around players escaping a city that has just suffered a devastating earthquake. Both DR4 and Yakuza: Of the End were only announced for release in Japan.
It's unclear at this point whether MotorStorm: Apocalypse is still on track to launch across Europe this week, as SCEE told GameSpot UK, "[The game's release is] under discussion at the moment. We'll get back to you when we know more." (The game's release in New Zealand was previously delayed following the severe earthquake that struck Christchurch last month.) The North American launch was set for April 12 two months ago.
To find out more about how you can help those affected in Japan by the past week's events, head over to RedCross.org.
