The world is kind of a crazy place right now, and that has had some negative effects on many things. Amidst fears of the Novel Coronavirus, even E3 was cancelled due to growing health concerns. At this point, numerous universities and workplaces are adopting a work from home mentality in an effort to slow the spread of the pandemic, but fans may want to know how this might affect the upcoming Gods of the Universe DLC for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Unfortunately, the potential for a delay is a very real thing, so here are some things fans should keep in mind in the coming days.
For those unaware, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's season pass has largely remained a mystery regarding its content. Although this is unusual, it is made even more strange now that some players have owned this season pass for almost two months and still have no official confirmation of what its new story arc and two original story episodes will entail. To make matters worse, the threat of the Coronavirus may impact Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot developer CyberConnect2 and it work as well, which could result in a delay of information and possibly release of the DLC.
Coronavirus in Fukuoka, Japan (CyberConnect2 Headquarters)
The headquarters of CyberConnect2, the developer of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, is located in Fukuoka, Japan, in the Fukuoka Prefecture. Currently, Coronavirus is not a huge threat to Japan as a whole, with the number of confirmed cases as of March 12th being 542. This number may seem large, but compared to Japan's total population of about 126.8 million, only around four ten-thousandths of a percent (~0.000427%) of Japan's population is infected. To put things further into perspective, as of March 12th, only three of the 542 confirmed cases are in the Fukuoka prefecture where CyberConnect2's headquarters are located.
This information should be reassuring, as it means that the developers of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot are statistically unlikely to be affected in any major way by the Novel Coronavirus. That said, recent history has proven that the Coronavirus is capable of spreading fast, and ultimately, the safety, well-being, and good health of the individuals at CyberConnect2 is far more important than any DLC they release for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. If it is deemed unsafe for them to continue working at the headquarters, then it is very possible that there will be some kind of delay in regards to the upcoming DBZ: K DLC.
DBZ: Kakarot DLC Delay
There are a few possibilities for how the Coronavirus could affect the season pass DLC content. First of all, it is worth mentioning that distributing the DLC should not be affected in any way, given that distribution will be entirely digital. There is no need for players to go to the store to pick up the new content, as everything will be handled entirely online. Likewise, once CyberConnect2 finishes the DLC, it should be relatively easy to get it live and in the hands of the players.
The difficulty instead comes from actually finishing its development. Video games, whether it be full titles or add on content, take a long time to create as many things must come together coherently in order to provide a polished finished product. There is no doubt that fears and health concerns about the Coronavirus will slow work to an extent, but it is important that fans be patient, as pushing developers too far can have negative consequences. If the office is not closed and developers are still able to come to work as normal, then it is most likely that nothing will change.
Finally, the more likely option is that at some point in the near future, developers will be instructed to work from home. Lacking access to all the resources found in the office and the increased difficulty of communication with the entire team at different places would surely cause delays on the DLC, so this is likely the worst case scenario. Even still, if there were a delay, it would likely be for no more than a month or two, and given that fans have waited so long to hear any confirmation about the season pass at all, waiting a little longer is certainly do-able.
Technically, the final possibility is that the DLC and all the contents of the season pass are completely cancelled due to the Coronavirus, but this seems so unlikely that it almost isn't worth mentioning. As with every major setback or pandemic, the crisis will pass eventually, and a reputable developer like CyberConnect2 is not known to go back on its promises. Fans should simply wait patiently and prepare for the worst while expecting the best, an perhaps more importantly support the hard-working team at CyberConnect2 in any way they can.
What Can Players Do?
As was previously stated, the best thing to do would be to support CyberConnect2 by being patient and understanding in the event of any delays. For many, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot still has much to explore and do, whether that be filling out the Z Encyclopedia, reaching max level, or maxing out all of the community boards. In a time when quarantines and sickness are all over the news, staying home and playing a great Dragon Ball Z game like DBZ: Kakarot could hardly be construed as a bad idea.
Additionally, practicing proper personal hygiene and social distancing techniques can help to slow the spread of the virus. Readers should wash their hands frequently and be conscientious of things like how often they touch their face and physically interact with other people. Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of commonly touched surfaces goes a long way, and fighting the urge to go to work when sick is equally as important. While video games will always be a source of joy for players around the world, the Coronavirus has affected the gaming industry in many ways, and safety and health are of greater importance, and fans would do well to remember that should something unfortunate cause a delay in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's DLC or any other game, for that matter.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
