10 Delayed Games that Just Need to Come Out Already
It’s never fun to find out your most anticipated game has been delayed. Unfortunately, delays are unavoidable because making video games is a massive undertaking. However, there are a handful of games that are notorious for being delayed that we still don’t know when we will get to play. These are 10 delayed games that need to just come out already.
Yoshi’s Crafted World
Let’s start off mild – Yoshi’s Crafted World is presumably coming out Spring of 2019. It’s sort of in the same style as Yoshi’s Wolly World, with an emphasis on using the camera to flip the stages to see behind objects. After it was revealed in 2017 with an original release window of sometime in 2018, fans were disappointed after it got pushed back. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait long for this one!
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Since we don’t really get true Castelvania games anymore, this is going to be the closest thing to Symphony of the Night we will get, at least for a while. However, this one has been cooking for quite some time. After it was expected to release in 2017, it got delayed multiple times and is now set for a 2019 launch window. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Skull & Bones
Possibly Ubisoft’s response to the success of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Skull & Bones is another take on the pirate sub-genre of gaming. It looks fun, with a tactical element and an emphasis on naval battles – Sadly, it’s unclear when we’ll get our hands on this. It was supposed to launch in holiday of 2018, but was delayed to possibly 2020. We’ll have to wait quite a bit longer to play Skull & Bones, assuming it doesn’t get cancelled (knock on wood).
Below
Let’s be honest here: What the heck is even going on with Below? It was revealed in 2013! Below is supposed to be a top-down rogue-like, with an emphasis on exploration and survival. It sounds cool enough, but after being in development for over five years, it’s not outlandish to assume that this game is in trouble. It was supposed to come out in 2016, so we’ll have to see what finally happens with this game.
Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2 had an excellent showing when it was revealed in 2014. Something had to have gone wrong with it, though, because it initially had a release window of 2015, just a year after its reveal. Developer, Deep Silver has stated as recently as July of 2018 that the survival horror RPG is still being developed. Maybe this one will launch with the next generation of consoles, assuming it hasn’t been cancelled.
Psychonauts 2
It seems like crowdfunded games always take ages to release, just like Psychonauts 2. After raising almost $4 million, Psychonauts 2 was set to release sometime in 2018. Unfortunately, it seemed like there were issues with investors, possibly jamming up the entire developmental process. Currently, the third-person platformer is set to release next year, but even that might be wishful thinking. 2020 may be more realistic.
Code Vein
Code Vein is freaking awesome. It’s got some interesting themes like vampires and is set in a post apocalyptic world. Yeah, maybe the setting is overdone, but the art style is enough to make this different. It was supposed to launch in September of 2018, but has since been delayed to 2019, sadly. After getting my hands on it at E3, Code Vein seems like it will take a lot of time, so hopefully it launches during a less crowded time.
Dreams
It seems like it’s hard to talk about Media Molecule’s Dreams without mentioning the developmental hell its gone through. It’s understandable, since the creation tools are so ambitious and you can literally make games inside of it, but it’s almost comical how many times this game has been delayed. First announced in 2013, it was supposed to release in 2017, then 2018, and now it seems like 2019 will be the year. From what’s been shown, it seems like Dreams should be worth the wait – I only hope it will make enough profit to warrant a 6+ year developmental time frame.
WiLD
From the lead director of the Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil series, WiLD has been in development for a long time. It looks neat, for sure – The large open world and survival elements are enough to be enticing. However, this one was announced in 2014 and we still haven’t seen a whole lot from it. Director, Michel Ancel assured us that it was still coming, but that was almost two years ago.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Aaaaaand of course, we have the granddaddy of them all, Final Fantasy VII Remake. This is a perfect example of a game that was shown far too early. Seemingly, everything we had seen of it had been scrapped and the development for the combat system has only recently been started.
Judging by the fan reactions, Square Enix probably realized this project would have to be way bigger than they had originally planned. Either way, we aren’t seeing this for a very long time.
8 Delayed Games that Just Need to Come Out Already
Yoshi's Crafted World
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Skull & Bones
Sadly, it's unclear when we'll get our hands on this. It was supposed to launch in holiday of 2018, but was delayed to possibly 2020. We'll have to wait quite a bit longer to play Skull & Bones, assuming it doesn't get cancelled (knock on wood).
Below
Dead Island 2
Psychonauts 2
Code Vein
Dreams
First announced in 2013, it was supposed to release in 2017, then 2018, and now it seems like 2019 will be the year. From what's been shown, it seems like Dreams should be worth the wait. We only hope it will make enough profit to warrant a 6+ year developmental time frame.
WiLD
However, this one was announced in 2014 and we still haven't seen a whole lot from it. Director Michel Ancel assured us that it was still coming, but that was almost two years ago.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Judging by the fan reactions, Square Enix probably realized this project would have to be way bigger than they had originally planned. Either way, we aren't seeing this for a very long time.
About the author
Joseph Yaden
Joseph is a Northern Kentucky University graduate with a bachelors degree in Studio Art. After realizing his passions lie elsewhere, he decided to pursue a career in games journalism with the goal of climbing to the top. He loves action RPGs like Bloodborne and Dark Souls, but is also fond of quirky Nintendo games on the Switch. Joseph can be found listening to Prog Metal and patiently waiting on that new Tool album.