Konami has announced that production of the TurboGrafx-16 Mini has come to a standstill because of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Because of the severity of the outbreak in the country, manufacturing has been hit hard, with many production centers just beginning to return to a semblance of normal.
Though suspension was relatively shortlived, the impact has already taken a toll in certain sectors, including portions of the gaming industry. In a release shared on the mini’s official webpage, Konami said:
We thank you for your continual support towards our products and services.
Regarding the PC Engine Core Grafx mini console and its peripheral accessories, the manufacturing and shipping facilities in China have encountered an unavoidable suspension due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As a result, the delivery of all PC Engine Core Grafx mini products, which was originally scheduled for March 19th, 2020, will be delayed until further notice.
We deeply apologize to our customers for the significant inconvenience, and we humbly ask for your understanding and patience while we keep our close attention on the situation. We are investing all of our efforts to deliver the PC Engine Core Grafx mini as soon as possible, and will provide further details on the deliver timing once confirmed.
The company did not provide a revised release date or window for the classic system. The TurboGrafx-16 mini was originally slated to ship starting March 19.
Some 57 games from across the TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine catalog will be available for the mini system when it finally launches. Titles include Alien Crush, Ys I&II, Splatterhouse, and Lords of Thunder, as well as Gradius, Super Darius, and Akumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondo.
The console was originally announced in June 2019, with more news and a larger lineup announced in August. It is another in a long line of classic mini consoles, which include the NES mini, the SNES mini, and the Genesis mini.
While other consoles have not yet been formally impacted by the coronavirus, analysts believe that both the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 could potentially be affected by a rippling effect.
At this stage, gaming events have been the most influenced by the virus, with the organizers of many yearly events reconsidering their 2020 plans. Minecraft Festival recently postponed its annual gathering, and the Game Developers Conference was ultimately canceled. Earlier, the Taipei Game Show was also canceled.
Currently, the ESA plans to hold E3 2020.
Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more on the TurboGrafx-16 mini console, as well as the impact of the cornoavirus on the gaming industry.
