Sony has confirmed that, following a delay in Japan, the release of PlayStation 3 racer Motorstorm Apocalypse has also be postponed in the UK.

“Although we have shipped the game into the channel last week, given that we are able to do so, we have chosen to postpone the launch in the UK,” said an SCE UK spokesperson. “In the meantime we will continue to monitor the situation very closely.”

A spokesperson for SCEE added: “We are shocked and saddened to see the impact of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and our thoughts are with all those affected, including our colleagues within the Sony family, living and working throughout Japan.

“We are very conscious of the parallels between these events and the underlying theme in Motorstorm and are doing everything we can to be as sensitive as possible to the situation. Although the game itself is already in distribution, we are ceasing any further shipments and removing as much of the marketing materials as possible.”

In wake of the devastating effects of the recent natural disasters to hit Japan, these are hugely respectful actions from Sony. Of course we’re disappointed that fans won’t be able to get their hands on the high-octane racer this week, but real world actions are far more important at the moment.

If you’ve yet to donate towards the relief aid, please do so now.

Update: It seems that despite not set for release for over another three weeks, SCEA has confirmed that Motorstorm Apolcalypse will be delayed in America as well.

Still no announcement of a rescheduled date as of yet, but I think given the delay in the US, we won’t be seeing Motorstorm until at least May.