Animal Crossing: New Horizons pre-orders are being delayed by Amazon

One day ahead of its release on Friday 20th March, Amazon pre-orders for Animal Crossing: New Horizons are being pushed back to next week.

Many who have pre-ordered the upcoming Nintendo Switch title are being sent emails from Amazon informing them they won’t receive the title on release day - with a new delivery date being set for Tuesday 24th March.

Weirdly, it states the Animal Crossing: New Horizons release date has changed - although this most likely means just the release date for Amazon deliveries.

This change is likely due to Amazon’s recent decision to prioritise more essential items for distribution from its warehouse following the virus outbreak - with games and toys likely suffering delays as a result.

“We are temporarily prioritising household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfilment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers,” an email read to Amazon sellers.

This will likely also affect upcoming releases like Resident Evil 3 and Final Fantasy VII Remake, with developer Square Enix recently warning customers of potential delays to orders.

A statement from Square Enix reads: “The worldwide release of Final Fantasy VII Remake on April 10 will go ahead.

“However, with the unforeseen circumstances changes in the distribution and retail landscape which varies across countries, it is increasingly likely that some of you will not get hold of your copy of the game on the release date.

“We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis and working with our partners, retailers and Square Enix teams across Europe and the Americas, to do everything we can to ensure as many of you as possible can play the game on April 10.”

For the foreseeable future, digital releases might be the best option for any urgent gaming needs.