Last week, the devastating LA fires began, spreading across Palisades, Malibu, and many other areas across the West Coast. Apart from the terrible loss of life and environmental damage, many estimated this will be the costliest wildfire in American history. As a result, many industries were disrupted. Naturally, gaming was one of the latest industries affected by these fires. Several major studios have delayed the production of upcoming games. Here is a breakdown of what that means for the impacted companies.

LA Fires Delay Games

According to 80LV, several video game companies put their productions on hold due to the ongoing LA fires. Riot Games and Activision Blizzard became the latest. Due to the local emergency orders, their crews were reduced to all but “critical functions” as their employees’ safety was prioritized. These will likely last until the brave firefighters contain the fires.

Additionally, the article highlights that Insomniac Games could need to evacuate next due to their proximity to the Eaton Fire. Their lead writer, Nick Folkman, highlighted the fires’ sound. Other developers stationed around the area include Santa Monica Studios and Naughty Dog. However, they have not announced how the LA fires affected their productions.

First and foremost, the biggest damages from the LA fires are the loss of life and damage to their well-being. At the time of writing, the fires have tragically killed 24 people and burned over 40,000 acres, according to NBC News. In response, heroic firefighters worldwide have stepped forward to combat the inferno. Furthermore, the fires have sadly become a divisive political subject for many.

What This Means for the Future

Because Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States, it is naturally an economic and cultural center for the nation. Many have estimated that this fire could be the costliest in American history, with $150 billion in damages. As stated earlier, several other industries, such as entertainment, were affected. For example, Amazon’s Fallout series was delayed due to the fires. With their functions halted, these companies can expect to announce several delays of varying lengths.

This is especially bad for these companies because many games are online and live service, such as Riot’s globally popular League of Legends. This means they require constant maintenance and oversight. Therefore, reducing these teams to a skeleton crew could hamper performance. Of course, the employees’ safety should rightly be prioritized. As the situation is rapidly developing and far from over, readers can sadly expect more dire news.

Similar Effects on the Industry

While these LA fires are a national emergency, they will almost certainly take a heavy toll on the gaming industry. A similar example would be the 2020 lockdowns, which slowed the economy to a halt. The disruption of other major industries naturally affected people’s interest in the industry. However, these also sparked a massive interest in online gaming as players were trapped in their homes while needing to cope.

Last year, both Riot and Activision-Blizzard took part in laying off vast sections of their workforce, a trend that left tens of thousands of developers unemployed. Furthermore, Activision-Blizzard was hit with massive controversies regarding its staff’s treatment and abusive leadership. The LA fires will likely be another blow to these companies’ resources.

Conclusion

The LA fires are quickly shaping into an environmental tragedy and historic loss. The economic damages to the area will likely take decades to recuperate from. As such, the video game industry would naturally become one of the victims, as their games’ maintenance and development were put on indefinite hold. Between massive layoffs, purchases by larger companies, and other controversies, the video game industry has faced several hurdles in recent years. However, if anything, these fires have also shown how people are willing to come together to help one another in times of crisis.