The tsunami and preceding earthquake that struck Japan late last week -- said to be the fifth worst in the last 110 years -- have resulted in an absolute tragedy. It certainly pales in comparison to the other effects it's had on people's lives, but the disaster has also impacted the videogame industry in a number of ways.
Disaster Report 4 (pictured above) has been canceled by Irem for very understandable reasons. Like its predecessors, it takes place in a city that has just been struck by a severe earthquake which players are tasked with escaping. No explanation was given, though it's very obvious why a game like this would be deemed inappropriate for release. It had been planned for release sometime this spring after a delay pushed it past March 10, which would have been incredibly atrocious timing.
Yakuza of the End, which was set for release this week, has been delayed indefinitely for "various circumstances." Unlike previous Yakuza games, this one featured an outbreak of zombies in a ruined version of the series' fictitious Japanese city of Kamurocho.
Other delays include Motorstorm Apocalypse (in Japan), Marvel vs. Capcom 3 downloadable content, and shipments of certain Xbox 360 products to Japan (including Dragon Age II and Xbox Live Gold subscription cards).
Meanwhile, both Square-Enix and Konami have taken steps to conserve electricity. The Tokyo Electric Power Company has asked that customers do what they can to avoid unnnecessary power usage. "Because TEPCO's facilities have been seriously damaged, power shortage may occur," a statement read in part. "TEPCO appreciates customers' cooperation in reducing electricity usage by avoiding using unnecessary lighting and electrical equipment. We are taking all measures to restore power, however, we expect extremely challenging situation in power supply for a while. We kindly ask our customers to cooperate with us in reducing usage of power."
Konami has temporarily taken the servers for Metal Gear Online offline as of March 12, with no date yet announced for when they'll be coming back. Likewise, the servers for both Final Fantasy XI and XIV have been turned off for at least a week from yesterday, March 13.
A number of videogame developers and publishers have pledged donations to relief efforts. Game Informer's Meagan Marie is even auctioning off her DS personally signed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Koji Kondo to raise donation money. You, too, can help by donating to any of the many organizations that will be providing aid to the region. Alternatively, you could purchase something from Shawnimals, which is donating 100% of net proceeds to the Red Cross this week.
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