'Final Fantasy VII Remake' physical copies break street date amid coronavirus pandemic

Originally scheduled to launch on Monday, "Final Fantasy VII Remake" was pushed back to Friday, April 10. This came after the developer confirmed that it needed more time to optimise the game. Several high-profile releases in 2020 were likewise delayed such as "Cyberpunk 2077," "The Last of Us Part II," and "Ghost of Tsushima." The past few weeks, Square Enix issued an apology as the coronavirus pandemic was going to affect shipments. However, it seems some retailers have already broken the street date.

The aforementioned communication from the publisher was devasting for everyone who pre-ordered their physical copies. Others even reportedly tried to cancel their transactions in order to switch to digital instead. However, according to Game Rant, it appears that there is a huge turnaround weeks before the game releases for the PlayStation 4.

Sources noted that Square Enix recently issued a statement regarding how retailers would probably delay the launch to allow more shipments to arrive. Unfortunately, it would be difficult to determine an estimated timeframe amid the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, reports are flooding in about players who are posting photos of their "Final Fantasy VII Remake" game discs and more.

While this is not the first time that retailers have sold games ahead of the intended release dates, many are concerned about spoilers. Hence, fans are urging others to be careful when searching for anything related to the upcoming action-RPG online.

As of this writing, Square Enix is yet to share information on this development. Nevertheless, the possible scenario here is that there is nothing it can do other than to issue a penalty to whichever outlet broke the original retail schedule.

So far, those who have posted their purchase online have been careful not to disclose where they got it. Therefore, there is practically no information that can be used by Square Enix in its investigation for now.

Last week, "Final Fantasy VII Remake" producer Yoshinori Kitase revealed why the game studio opted to break the original story into multiple chapters. Furthermore, co-director Naoki Hamaguchi assured fans that end-game content will be engaging enough to keep players entertained once the story campaign has been completed. It is likely that the coronavirus threat has prompted the retailers to release highly anticipated games ahead of schedule.