Nintendo and Microsoft Will Let Employees in Washington Work From Home Due to the Coronavirus

Concerns about the coronavirus have prompted two video game companies to have their employees work from home. Both Microsoft, which has a Redmond campus in Washington, and Nintendo of America, which has its headquarters in Redmond, will have employees telecommuting due to worries about the spread of COVID-19. In addition, Microsoft is having the employees in its Bay Area Mountain View, California office telecommute. [Thanks, Kotaku!]

Both Microsoft and Nintendo aren’t the only King County companies to have employees working from home. Bungie, the studio behind Destiny 2, has its offices in Bellevue, Washington. (This is also in King County.) It activated a remote work infrastructure to allow people to safely work without leaving the house.

On March 5, 2020, 31 coronavirus cases were reported in King County in Washington, and the county’s official website reported ten deaths from the disease. Part of the official response to the spread of COVID-19 was a suggestion that companies should allow people to work from home and “maximize flexibility in sick leave benefits.”

This is one of many recent responses to the coronavirus. In Japan, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie has been delayed. PC Engine mini, TurboGrafx-16 mini, and PC Engine CoreGrafx mini production have been delayed. GDC 2020 was even postponed.