Eager fans who were preparing to attend GameStop midnight release events for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal will be met with disappointing news. The company has revealed that it plans to cancel all midnight releases due to the current coronavirus threat.
The information about the cancellation comes from an internal memo that was sent out to GameStop employees and obtained by website Kotaku. According to what was said in the memo, GameStop will be cancelling all midnight release events for the foreseeable future (which incorporates those for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Eternal) as well as shutting down demo stations within stores. The safety measures are being implemented to "[...] maintain the health and safety of our guests and associates, [and] avoid situations where large numbers of guests are gathered indoors or standing in line."
Before the enforcement of the safety measures was made, some GameSpot employees expressed concern that midnight release events would attract large groups of people, especially for popular and anticipated video games. Because of such large gatherings, the chances of getting infected with the coronavirus would have a chance to increase. Additionally, some employees have stated that GameSpot did not provide stores with cleaning supplies (despite stating otherwise). Instead, employees were told to find the necessary cleaning supplies via local means (which given the current situation is easier said than done).
Aside from cancelling midnight release events for upcoming games, GameStop has instructed its employees to shut down demo stations inside the stores, implemented a twice-hourly hand washing rule, and instructed on ways to clean and disinfect the Verifone payment terminals. However, as stated earlier, some of the employees that Kotaku spoke with said that the company isn't necessarily prepared. For example, despite GameSpot claiming that hand sanitizers would be sent out to stores, the sanitizers are allegedly on backorder through the normal supply chain, thus forcing the stores to finding other methods of obtaining the sanitizers.
GameSpot isn't the only company to adjust its policies due to coronavirus. Many other video game-themed events and gatherings have either been cancelled or postponed until further notice.
Source: Kotaku