NieR: Automata Ver1.1a, the anime based on PlatinumGames’ action RPG, has seen its release interrupted by the ongoing impact of the covid pandemic. The show’s official Twitter account has announced that the release of the rest of the series has been indefinitely delayed. Unusually, this announcement has come after the first three episodes of the show were already released on Crunchyroll following a January 7th premiere.

“Due to the impact of COVID-19 on production, we have decided to postpone the broadcast and distribution of episode 4 and all subsequent episodes,” the statement reads, adding that an updated release schedule will be announced on Twitter soon. “We apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may cause our fans who have been looking forward to our work due to these unforeseen circumstances.”

NieR: Automata Ver1.1a is hardly the first TV show to have had its release impacted by the pandemic, but it’s become less and less common with the widespread rollout of covid vaccines. Even then, I can’t think of another show to have been delayed after its initial episodes have already been released. The anime is being produced by A-1 Pictures, a Japanese-headquartered animation studio. It’s unclear how many episodes had been planned, but one report pegs the total series length at 24 episodes.