Bandai Namco has revealed that physical copies of Little Nightmares 2 will be delayed in the UK and Ireland, and it’s apparently a direct result of the UK’s exit from the EU (better known as Brexit). There has been a lot of talk about how Brexit will affect the entertainment industry, but gaming has largely been left out of the discussion.
Little Nightmares 2 is an upcoming horror puzzle-platformer. The game follows a boy named Mono, who is stuck in a horrific world that has been warped by transmissions from the sinister Signal Tower. He encounters Six (the protagonist of the original Little Nightmares), and they must survive the deadly threats that stalk the streets of Pale City together as they try to uncover the secrets behind the Signal Tower. A demo for Little Nightmares 2 is available now on available platforms, preparing players for more of the first game’s macabre visuals and themes.
One of the first gaming-related issues caused by Brexit has been revealed. The official Bandai Namco UK Twitter account has announced that physical copies of Little Nightmares 2 will be delayed in the UK and Ireland due to shipping issues caused by Brexit. The digital versions of the game will not be affected, which are still expected to be available on February 11.
The past year has seen a lot of shipping issues involving games, especially when COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions first began. Games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake had sporadic releases, as unexpected production problems and shipping issues cropped up all over the world. Little Nightmares 2 is a case where the issues are a direct result of Brexit, and it’s just one problem that has cropped up regarding shipping into and out of the UK over the past few weeks.
The physical nature of needing to film TV shows and movies means that there will be issues involving travel into and out of the UK for productions going forward. A lot of projects are filmed in the UK, such as parts of The Batman being filmed in Liverpool last year. Video game development might not seem like it would be as affected as heavily as the movie and TV industries, but there are lingering questions of how the market will look in a few years’ time. The Little Nightmares 2 delay is likely being caused by this initial tumultuous period, but the overall effects of Brexit on gaming might not be seen for years to come.
Little Nightmares 2 will be released for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One on February 11, 2021. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions will be released in 2021.
