The Division
Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s The Division, like Watch_Dogs before it, absolutely wowed everyone in attendance when it was shown off at the 2013’s E3 press conference. This was one beautiful game with a post-apocalyptic New York serving as a backdrop with tons of MMORPG elements sprinkled in for good measure. The chance to play as an elite sleeper cell after the collapse of civilization. Plus there was the whole closing the door on the police cruiser that managed to look incredibly awesome in its simplicity.
It was originally slated to hit next-gen consoles (now current gen) in 2014 but was then delayed to 2015. Radio silence followed for a while, until it was finally revealed that it would be released on March 8, 2016. Not only has it been delayed (yet again) it seems to have undergone a few changes as well. Everyone’s waited this long so what’s another delay, right? Unless they decide 2017 is more attractive.
Dead Island 2
When it comes to Dead Island 2, we can’t exactly say for sure when it was delayed to. It was originally supposed to receive its beta for those that pre-ordered earlier this year with a hopeful release shortly after. But, things haven’t been going too well for this sequel. It was delayed at first due to development issues, but now it has the biggest development issue of them all: no developer. Yager (Spec Ops: The Line) was at the helm, but have since left the project. Now Deep Silver must get another team to either finish the project or scrap it.
For that reason you can pretty much say that Dead Island 2 is being delayed indefinitely until they can, you know, finish the game. It’s a shame really. The dose of humor with that ironic sunny California setting, would have added some levity to the whole zombie slaying video game scene.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
When Naughty Dog unveiled Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End it dropped jaws. But that was nothing compared to when they finally showed actual gameplay. The game looked absolutely amazing, glitches and all. It is both an evolution and finale for one of PlayStation’s biggest franchises. Many looked forward to a Holiday 2015 release in the hopes of seeing a Drake versus Croft face-off . But those dreams were quickly crushed when a March 2016 release date was set instead.
Although 2015 was quickly shown at the end of the first reveal trailer, the game wasn’t spoken about again for some time. When it was finally brought to the limelight once more the delay to March 2016 was revealed to the dismay of many fans. The producers wanted to make sure that they ended it just right in order to give Nathan Drake a proper sendoff, so a delay was a decision they had to make. Whether it was the right move remains to be seen, but fans will be able to decide for themselves Mar. 18 2016.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U
The Wii U has had a pretty rough time recently. Sure they’ve had some stellar releases but they’ve been few and far in between. When the extraordinarily beautiful Legend of Zelda Wii U trailer was released everyone was ecstatic. It was majestic, open, and surprisingly different. It is easily the most ambitious entry in the series to date, looking to rival the likes of rich open worlds such as those found in The Elder Scrolls and The Witcher.
After a few instances where it was guaranteed that the game would see a 2015 release, even when info about the game was extremely scarce, the hammer finally fell. It wasn’t completely surprising. The Wii U is struggling to say the least, and Nintendo can’t afford to put out anything other than the best. With the NX being a thing soon, there is a chance you may see a multi-platform release for the highly anticipated title, sort of like Twilight Princess. Whatever the case is, you can be sure that the development team is working hard to deliver the best Legend of Zelda experience they possibly can. We’re just going to have to be a bit more patient as Link finds his groove.
Homefront: The Revolution
Homefront: The Revolution has had it’s fair share of developmental issues. The IP was acquired by Crytek, and Deep Silver ended up coming along for the ride to help with publishing. This is when the game went from linear to an open world approach, letting players mold the revolution. After a while, Crytek sold the IP to Koch Media (parent company of Deep Silver).
This meant that yet another studio had to take over development, and that studio is Dambuster Studios (comprised of former Crytek UK employees). This change meant there was no way they could still hit the intended 2015 release and have the amount of polish desired of Homefront: The Revolution.
In March of this year, Deep Silver shared the news that the game would be released in 2016 instead. It’s commendable that they put the state of the game in front of deadlines, so for those who’ve been waiting for this sequel you’ll at least know that they have your best interests at heart.
XCOM 2
This PC-only follow up to XCOM: Enemy Unknown was originally given a November 2015 release date, which means you’d probably be loading it into your rig right about now if things didn’t change. After the interesting reveal using a ‘hacked’ website, many fans of the strategy RPG were excited to finally see a proper followup that stayed true to the series.
Unfortunately, to deliver the game that fans are dreaming of, Firaxis decided that more time to polish the game was in order. This is a beloved property that was reborn on last-gen and was extremely well received, so a sequel must do it proper justice. Yeah, it sucks to have to wait a bit longer, but every bit of info they’ve been slowly releasing shows that it will probably be well worth the delay.
Persona 5
Now this is one that hit pretty close to home for Twinfinite’s staff. If you asked around what games we were looking forward to this holiday season, almost everyone’s list would have included Persona 5 (usually in one of the top two spots). Many times Atlus was asked about its release date, and each time they confirmed a Holiday 2015 release. Christmas was looking really nice.
Then Tokyo Game Show came along. In a brand new trailer it was revealed that Persona 5 would now see a Summer 2016 release instead. Whether it’s still going to be a worldwide release or not is unconfirmed, so that’s an extra stress for those of us outside of Japan. Still, we’re pretty sure this is for a good reason. The game is looking incredible and some more polish can only make it better.
Hitman
Hitman is another game that just couldn’t make the Holiday 2015 cut. Originally slated to be released in December, just in time for Christmas, it will now come out in March of next year.
The reasons, once again, are pretty commendable. The format was always going to be a game that will be constantly added to through free expansions, but they recognized that the base was pretty light on content. Even if they always planned to expand, they decided more meat at the beginning was definitely a better move.
So you’ll unfortunately have to wait for a bit longer before you can assassinate targets in creative ways, but that just gives you more time to think up elaborate schemes.
Star Fox Zero
Nintendo actually had two major casualties this year. Star Fox Zero was yet another entry in a fan loved franchise that got the boot into next year because it needs more polish. While it may not have had the same hype around it as the delayed Legend of Zelda game, it was certainly something to look forward to as the year came to a close. Nintendo had a strong start this year, so an equally impressive finish would have been nice.
Unfortunately it just wasn’t to be. Level designs needed some polishing, the two screen experience needs a bit of refining, and they just want everything else to be as shiny as possible. Nobody wants to put out an underwhelming game, and that includes the fine folks at Nintendo.
So you may not be able to hear ‘do a barrel roll’ blaring from your television in a brand new game this year, but all in due time.
Ratchet and Clank
The new Ratchet and Clank game is an interesting one. Instead of going the HD re-release route, Insomniac instead decided to a complete re-imagining was in order. The newest game (which looks as good as a Pixar film) takes the original release and throws in some mechanics from the later games, new levels, new weapons, and adds in some more story bits to tie in with the upcoming film.
Originally it was supposed to be released this year, but that was eventually changed to Spring 2016 in order to put it closer to the movie. Since they will share some story it makes sense to have them release in proximity, after all a game with movie spoilers releasing months beforehand would be pretty awkward.
As much as it hurts to have to wait a little longer to relive this classic in a brand new way, Spring 2016 is looking a whole lot more colorful thanks to Insomniac.
Quantum Break
Remedy’s Quantum Break is one of Microsoft’s biggest upcoming exclusives. Coming from the studio that originally brought us Max Payne and Alan Wake it has some serious shoes to fill. But after a couple of trailers, especially that exciting Gamescom 2015 Time is Power trailer, it became clear that it was ready.
Xbox fans were all ready to welcome one of the members of the ‘best lineup in Xbox history’ into their homes this holiday season. Unfortunately that ‘best lineup’ happened to be a bit crowded. Shannon Loftis, Head of Publishing at Microsoft Studios, stated that “With so many Xbox One games launching this year, moving Quantum Break to 2016 extends our incredible portfolio into next year with a monster new IP.”
Stretching the greatness over a longer period of time is actually a pretty smart move. It allows fans to be able to experience more without having to make the tough decisions. It may have pushed one of the biggest titles further out, but good things come to those who wait and what better game to wait for than one that lets you control time?
Do any of these delays leave you a bit disappointed, or are you happy that they’re making the effort to ensure the best experience possible? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
