With the number of confirmed cases of H1N1 Swine Flu coming out of last week’s Penny Arcade Expo nearing 100, the Washington State Department of Health told Kotaku that they are concerned, but not actively tracking the cases.
Fears that Thailand’s online gaming shops could be a major hub for swine flu transmission were realised this week, as a computer game shop employee became virus’ 17th Taiwanese victim.
Linking the PlayStation Store to current events or causes isn’t new; SCEA donated $US10,000 to Earth Day in a video store promotion. But Sony Hong Kong’s leveraging of swine flu is a bit dubious.
Worries about being bitten by infected pigs at E3 2009 may have put a damper on the giant video game expo, but those fears haven’t affected Nintendo’s plans to exhibit its wares next week.
Several Japanese game companies have restricted employee travel to the United States for this year’s E3. For Osaka-based game maker Capcom, the basis for this decision was “travel restrictions”.
Capcom isn’t the only Japanese developer to be gun-shy about this year. Yokohama-based company Koei is also preventing staffers from attending the Los Angeles gaming convention.
Much anticipated Capcom title Dead Rising 2 will now not be show at this year’s E3 thanks to a Swine Flu outbreak in Osaka, Japan, Capcom told Kotaku.
