After playing the demo for Final Fantasy VII Remake, players have been more psyched than ever to get their hands on a full copy of the game.
Unfortunately, if you pre-ordered your copy off of Amazon, you might have to wait a while.
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched all facets of human life in recent weeks, and it turns out that the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake is one such area. While Square Enix has doubled down on its release date, stating in no uncertain terms that this game will come out on time on April 10, 2020, it also noted that some retailers might not be able to supply the game on that day.
One such retailer is Amazon. The online shopping giant has instituted a new policy of delaying non-essential orders until April 5. Fans have received emails noting that their physical copies of Final Fantasy VII Remake might be delayed due to the developing backlog of Amazon shipments.
While this may come as a shock to some, it’s really not outside the realm of possibilities in today’s world. A number of retailers have been closing in order to combat the spread of COVID-19. The NBA, NHL, and MLB have all suspended their seasons. WWE is hosting Wrestlemania in an empty studio.
As the world continues to shut down in response to this pandemic, the only gamers who are guaranteed to be able to actually play their copy of Final Fantasy VII Remake on opening day are those who pre-ordered the game digitally through the PlayStation Network.
When you pre-order a game digitally, obviously you’re not receiving a physical copy. Instead, the game is automatically downloaded onto your console and becomes playable at the stroke of midnight on release day.
The estimated download day for Final Fantasy VII Remake is April 8, two whole days before the game releases. That doesn’t mean you can play the game early. It just means that the game is pre-downloaded so that when the clock hits 12 on release day, you’re ready to play.
When you think about it, gamers who pre-order digitally are always going to be the first fans to start playing a game. Even if you went to a retailer for a midnight release, you’d still have to take the game home and install it before it is ready to play.
As of now, GameStop plans to be open for the release, claiming that it is an “essential service” like banks, grocery stores, and pharmacies. However, the state of California recently forced GameStop to close all of its California locations, so time will tell how many states follow suit.
