2022 has been a year of many great game releases, from small indie titles such as Neon White and Sifu, to big AAA names such as Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, God of War Ragnarok, and Elden Ring. While we’ve received a number of fantastic titles to keep our gaming needs in check, 2022 has also unfortunately been a year of many game delays and cancellations. Sure, some of these have very understandable reasoning, but there are also number of titles that totally took everyone by surprise when delayed. Without further ado, here’s 10 games we can’t believe didn’t release in 2022.
Forspoken
Forspoken is a highly-anticipated upcoming RPG and the breakout project of Luminous Productions, set to be published by Square Enix. Forspoken tells the story of Frey, a young woman who is mysteriously transported from New York City to the magical world of Athia. Frey must take control of new magical abilities to traverse the unfamiliar fantasy world and find her way back home.
After initially being set to release on May 24, 2022, a new Forspoken trailer was revealed at Sony’s State of Play, with an updated release date of Oct. 11, 2022. As excitement was rising leading up to this date, Forspoken was unfortunately delayed yet again, this time until Jan. 24, 2023. This was a massive shock to gamers looking forward to the title, especially due to the reasoning.
According to the statement on Twitter, Forpsoken is a finished game and was only pushed back as a strategic decision. Perhaps this indicates that Square Enix saw a better sales opportunity by removing it from the crowded pool of big titles at the end of 2022 and pushing release into early 2023. It’s hard to say for sure, but the only thing disappointed gamers can do for now is wait until this new date in hopes of finally starting to begin Frey’s journey.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is an upcoming open-world action-adventure title based on James Charlton’s award-winning Avatar film franchise. In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, gamers can achieve their fantasies of becoming a Navi, journeying across a never before seen region of Pandora known as the Western Frontier. In doing so, you’ll fight for the Navi against the RDA, who threaten the sacred lands.
Frontiers of Pandora has been in the works for a while now, first hinted at in 2017 and revealed in 2021 to be aiming for a release between April 2022 and March 2023. Finally, we got the first look at the game in a trailer at E3 2021, which announced a release in 2022. After the second franchise film, Avatar: Way of the Water, was pushed from 2021 to hit cinemas in December 2022, it was estimated by many that Ubisoft would likely release Frontiers of Pandora around the same time, while hype from the film would still be at maximum capacity.
Unluckily, for fans of the film looking to step into the role of a Navi, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has been delayed until 2023 or 2024, with no definitive date in sight. Thankfully, we’ve all got the film to look forward to, but for now, as far as the game goes, Ubisoft has left us in the dark as far as solid release dates go.
Star Wars: Hunters
Star Wars: Hunters is an upcoming team-based arena PVP shooter for mobile and Nintendo Switch. The game is set after the fall of the Galactic Empire. It contains a diverse cast of characters, including Imperial Stormtroopers, bounty hunters, rebellion heroes, Dark Side force users, and Wookie warriors. Players will fight in teams against each other within arenas based on Star Wars locations.
Star Wars: Hunters was first formally announced in a teaser trailer showcased at the Nintendo Direct presentation on Feb. 17, 2021. Following this, the first look at gameplay was showcased during an Apple event showcase for the iPad Mini. Shortly after this showcase, a cinematic trailer showcasing several of the game’s characters was revealed to the public. Progress was being made in late 2021, with the game being soft-launched on Android devices in the Philippines, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with hopes that a full release would occur worldwide in 2022.
Disappointingly, on July 18, 2022, it was announced by Zynga that Star Wars: Hunters would be delayed for a second time until 2023. Of course, this left fans shocked and upset that the game was being delayed, as it is already playable in the regions mentioned above. On top of this, the statement mentions that new content and updates will continue in these regions, with no significant reason mentioned for delaying the game everywhere else.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Known as one of the most highly anticipated upcoming games, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a Metroidvania-style game and the sequel to the much-adored Hollow Knight. In the new Silk Song sequel, players will control Hornet, who previously appeared as a boss in the original game. Hornet will be tasked with quests from other characters, with Hornet having the capability to craft weapons, tools, and traps from materials gathered throughout her adventures.
Interestingly, Hornet was supposed to be a playable addition to the original Hollow Knight in the form of a DLC add-on. Instead, Team Cherry decided to expand on this and make her the star of a new sequel game. In 2019, images and character descriptions for Silksong were revealed to the public, and to show gratitude for the fan support in favor of the sequel, Team Cherry released a playable demo at E3 2019 that featured two levels.
After months of Team Cherry keeping any big details sealed, finally, a new gameplay trailer was revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022. This got the hopes of many gamers, and Hollow Knight fans up for a full-game release in the months following. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, as no release date has been revealed to the public. This was surprising and disappointing to many, as the gameplay trailer drop back in June had fans thinking they were building to some big news, such as the game’s release. On a more positive note, Xbox confirmed on Twitter that the game would release within 12 months of the June trailer reveal, so at least we have a window between June 2022 and June 2023.
The Day Before
The Day Before is an open-world MMO where players will navigate a post-pandemic apocalyptic America and try to keep themselves safe from bloodthirsty, flesh-eating infected. There’s also the threat of hostile survivors killing each other for food, weapons, and vehicles.
The Day Before was first announced on January 27, 2021, with a trailer showing off the game’s concept and some of the mechanics that would be implemented. Later in October 2021, a release date of June 21, 2022, was announced for the game. Leading up to this release date, The Day Before was sitting at the top of Steam’s most wishlisted games, with gamers ecstatic to play the title.
In a shock to the community, however, the release was pushed back due to a decision to switch to Unreal Engine 5 only a month or so before release. While this switch is somewhat understandable due to the improvements Unreal Engine 5 could add to the game; it was a totally unexpected move. Despite this, gamers are still highly looking forward to running through the post-apocalyptic world of The Day Before, as it is still #2 on Steam’s most wishlisted games.
A Space For the Unbound
A Space for the Unbound is a slice-of-life adventure game about two high school sweethearts, Atma and Raya, who have supernatural powers. The story is set to follow a self-discovery and coming-of-age theme, incorporating and raising awareness for important real-world issues, such as mental health, anxiety, and depression.
A Space for the Unbound has a devoted fanbase eagerly awaiting the game’s release, praising the previews of the story and gorgeous pixel art showcased in the announcement trailer. Sadly, fans were blindsided on Aug. 24 when the official Twitter account for the game announced that A Space for the Unbound would be delayed indefinitely due to the termination of the contract with publisher PQube Games. This decision broke the hearts of everyone looking forward to the game and everyone behind the scenes who had been working so hard to bring it to life.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Oxenfree II is the highly-anticipated upcoming sequel to Oxenfree, set to release on PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Oxenfree II takes place after the original game, telling the story of a new character Riley, an environmental researcher returning to her hometown of Camena to investigate strange radio transmissions.
Oxenfree II was announced in 2021, with the release date set for later in the year. Unfortunately for fans of the first game who were eagerly awaiting the sequel, this release date was delayed until 2022. This was upsetting to fans of the franchise, as Oxenfree II has taken the unique mechanic of its villains, affecting the fabric of the original Oxenfree through a game update incorporating new radio broadcasts.
While Oxenfree was set for release in 2022, on Sept. 26, 2022, Night School Studios announced on Twitter that the game would now be delayed until 2023. This was a huge upset to fans expecting the title to meet the release date in 2022, with Night School Studios reasoning that they want to make the game a more special experience and add more localizations.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is an action-adventure game in the works from Rocksteady Studios and the upcoming fifth title of the Batman: Arkham series. Set in an open-world Metropolis, the game features the playable characters of Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang, and Deadshot, who, as a team, are tasked with freeing the Justice League from Brainiac’s control before he conquers Metropolis and eventually, the world.
The first tangible hint of the game was included at the end of 2013’s Batman: Arkham Origins, where the formation of the Suicide Squad was teased in a post-credits scene. Following this, Rocksteady Studios officially announced Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in Aug. 2020, with a teaser trailer premiering at DC FanDome on August 22 and a launch date set for 2022.
While there was no confirmed release date for the game, it was an upsetting shock to DC fans when Rocksteady studios announced on Twitter that the game would be delayed until 2023, showing a video of the Squad looking frustrated. Considering the Arkham series hasn’t had a new title since 2015, the delay surprised gamers who were much looking forward to playing the latest addition. Rocksteady’s reasoning for the delay was to improve the quality of the game and bring the best experience to the 2023 release, so we can only hope the wait will be well worth it.
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG and prequel story to The Messenger. The story focuses on two Children of the Solstice, Valerie the Moongirl, and Zale the sunboy, who combine their powers to create Eclipse Magic, the only thing capable of combatting the monstrosities created by the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmaster.
Sea of Stars’ first reveal trailer in 2020 showcased gorgeous pixel art styles, dynamic lighting, great character concepts, and immersive music and sound effects, making gamers ecstatic about what was to come. In 2021, a teaser trailer was released to show off the animation of Sea of Stars’ in-game cinematics, only furthering the hype for the 2022 release to PC and consoles, as stated within the teaser. With the game producing visually beautiful, high-standard work in its teasers and trailers, fans were eager to get their hands on the title this year.
Unfortunately, on July 1, 2022, Sabotage Studio surprised fans when they announced on Twitter that the game’s release would be delayed until 2023. This was a shock to many, as the game looked to be produced to a very high quality, leading many people to believe a smooth release was guaranteed. However, Sabotage made this tough decision in order to uphold this high standard to the very end of the road and ensure the team didn’t burn out in the final stretch. We can’t blame them for this, and once everyone gets over the shock and disappointment, we’ll have a very promising game to look forward to in 2023.
LotR: Gollum
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an upcoming story-driven action-adventure game based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s best-selling The Lord of the Rings franchise. The game is set to focus on the character of Gollum and takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, giving everyone a chance to experience a unique journey through Gollum’s eyes.
The game was initially announced by Daedalic Entertainment in March 2019, with the first teaser trailer released to the public in 2020. The game was originally planned to release in 2021 but was delayed until 2022 due to the announcement of co-publisher Nacon, who has since acquired Daedalic outright. On May 24, 2022, it was announced on Twitter that the game devs were targeting a release date of Sept. 1, 2022, for PC, Xbox, and Playstation, and Nov. 30, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, leaving gamers intrigued to see what information and teasers would come leading up to this date.
Surprisingly, on July 25, only two months before release, the game’s developers announced on Twitter that there would be a further delay of a few months, avoiding mentioning a new release date. While delaying the game this close to release was a shock for everyone following along with the news of the title, it may be more of a good thing, as the gameplay reveals and trailers have received heavy criticism and poor reviews from the community. Until further notice, all we can do is wait and see what improvements are made to the game in the following months and hope for a release in the first half of 2023.
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