Like many other development studios, Square Enix has announced that it will switch to remote work on upcoming titles and live service games.

　　In a new blog post, Square Enix of Americas and Europe CEO, Phil Rogers, has issued an update on the measures that the company will be taken amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Rogers, whenever possible, teams will be working from home on Square Enix’s upcoming releases and live service titles, which likely includes Final Fantasy XIV. In cases where working from home isn’t possible, Square Enix has reduced office density and introduced staggered work times. We’ve included a part of Rogers’ post on this matter below:

　　While the circumstances regarding the COVID-19 pandemic continue to evolve, we wanted to update you on the steps we’ve taken to ensure the health and well-being of our employees and their families, maintain our online services, and reassure you on our upcoming slate of exciting games.

　　We have been following the health and safety guidelines set forth by regional governmental health officials over recent months and in February, we restricted domestic and International business travel and began to limit visitors to our offices and studios.

　　At the same time, we began working across the SQUARE ENIX organization in Asia, Europe and the Americas to prepare for employees to work from home. Our IT teams increased our remote working systems, including the deployment of VPN and technology upgrades that enable remote working for our studio, development and business operations.

　　We have now implemented work-from-home policies across all locations and in cases where remote working isn’t possible, we have reduced office density and introduced staggered work times, especially to avoid peak consumer rush hours.

　　The CEO also reconfirmed that that highly-anticipated release of Final Fantasy VII Remake will still launch on April 10. Unfortunately, physical copies might see some delay.

　　“We know that many of our fans are looking forward to the upcoming release of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, and we want to reassure everyone that we are still moving forward with an April 10 release date”, the CEO wrote. “While our goal is to ensure that everyone can play the game on day one, it is increasingly likely that deliveries may be affected in select markets due to supply chain disruptions and potential brick-and-mortar retail closures resulting from governmental quarantine policies.”

　　“We are in constant contact with our distribution and retail partners and are actively monitoring the situation for distribution of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE. As we receive more information about specific country-level distribution details, we will update you. We appreciate your patience and understanding as the situation develops over the coming days and weeks.”

　　We already wrote about it last week, but following the cancelation of this year’s E3 event, Square Enix has said to be planning a digital showcase to show off its 2020 and next-gen lineup of games.

　　“In addition to ensuring the health and well-being of our employees, we remain committed to delivering epic gameplay experiences for our players”, Rogers wrote in his blog post. “Despite the changing work landscape, our development studios remain committed to supporting our live service games and working on our upcoming releases. While some game-related events have been cancelled, we are building out plans for a digital showcase where we can share news with you about those titles in the near future.”