GameStop announced late Wednesday night that all of its retail stores will be selling Doom Eternal a day earlier than scheduled “as a safety precaution.”
Doom Eternal and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, two wildly different high-profile games, were set to launch on Friday, March 20. The internet had been making hundreds of memes, drawings, and even a real amiibo over the odd pairing of the first-person shooter and the casual social sim.
The company said in a tweet that it will be spacing out the two releases to “adhere to CDC-recommended social distancing guidelines” over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons will keep its March 20 release date for all GameStop stores, while other retailers are continuing to sell both games this coming Friday as planned.
GameStop had already canceled the midnight launch events for both games, since the CDC first recommended canceling or postponing gatherings of more than 50 people, then revising it to more than 10 people.
Before the cancellation, GameStop employees had spoken to Kotaku over fears of the company’s coronavirus policies, including not being able to provide hand sanitizer to stores and potential job repercussions for staying at home without providing a doctor’s note.
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