Home Games Every Game Delayed In 2021 So Far

Every Game Delayed In 2021 So Far

July 30, 2021

COVID-19 put the planet on pause for much of 2020. We started to see video games get delayed last year, including some major AAA releases, but the real effect of the pandemic seems to be for games that were already planned for 2021, as teams had to use new work-from-home setups that delayed processes and ultimately often slowed down development. We aren’t too far into the year yet, but a number of games have already been delayed, and we’ve rounded up a list of them all.

Games on this list had either concrete release dates or a release window, so certain games announced for 2022 like Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 were not included. A game also didn’t have to be delayed out of 2021 to be on the list–it just had to be delayed. Once released, the game was removed from this list.

Icarus

The long-awaited next game from original DayZ creator Dean Hall, Icarus is a sci-fi survival game that was planned to launch in August. However, it’s now coming in November without a finalized specific date. Beta periods will lead up to its launch.

Stray

Stray was supposed to arrive in 2021, bringing us a tale of an adorable cat just struggling to survive in a world taken over by robots. However, the development team has opted to delay the game until 2022 so as to not “compromise on quality.”

SkateBIRD

We are going to have to wait a little longer to shred some halfpipes as adorable little birds, as SkateBIRD will now arrive on September 16 instead of in August. This decision was made in order to ensure that the game would launch on all platforms at the same time, and the extra month will allow for more polish and further sound and UI improvements.

Crimson Desert

First revealed with a gameplay trailer in 2020 and planned for a 2021 launch, the open-world spin-off to Black Desert Online, Crimson Desert, is now arriving at an unspecified future date as Pearl Abyss works to add “new ideas” to make a “deeper, more enriching game.”

Splitgate

The Portal-like shooter Splitgate isn’t out yet, but it has been doing through a beta period and has gotten popular enough that developer 1047 Games has opted to delay its 1.0 release in order to improve server capacity. The game will arrive in August rather than July 27, so it’s not an enormous delay.

Digimon Survive

No stranger to delays, Digimon Survive was originally announced three years ago and planned to launch in 2020 before those plans were thrown into disarray. At the earliest, it’s now coming in Q3 2022, and based on the language of Toei Animation’s latest financial report, it could very well be even later than that.

Rainbow Six Extraction

Just a month after Rainbow Six Extraction was re-introduced to the public via the Ubisoft E3 presentation, the company opted to delay the game into January 2022. The spin-off to the main series focuses on an alien threat, which is a big departure for the franchise, and with support planned for cross-play and cross-progression, the development team evidently needed extra time.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Originally planned to launch in 2021, Fatshark’s Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has been pushed to Spring 2021 in order to give the development team more time for polishing and ensuring the game’s longevity post-launch. What exactly that means remains to be seen, but it will release on Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Resident Evil Re:Verse

A game first scheduled to come with Resident Evil Village that was later delayed already to July, Resident Evil Re:Verse will bring its take on multiplayer to players in 2022. A third-person shooter with characters from across the series’ history, it also makes use of some environments from the other classic games in the series.

GhostWire: Tokyo

Tango Gameworks’ GhostWire: Tokyo looks to be quite a big departure from its The Evil Within series, but we haven’t actually seen much from the game, and that didn’t bode well for it making a 2021 release. It is now coming in early 2022 in order to better meet the studio’s vision.

God of War sequel

The sequel to 2018’s God of War, which may or may not be called God of War: Ragnarok, was originally scheduled to release at some point this year. However, Sony’s Santa Monica Studio has opted to delay the game into 2022 in order to ensure it meets the series’ high quality standards. PlayStation’s head of worldwide studios Herman Hulst said the project started “a little later” than some others, which may have contributed to the delay.

Far Cry 6

Last year, Far Cry 6 was officially revealed and had a planned February 18, 2021 release date. However, just a few months later, this changed to sometime before September 2021. This didn’t end up happening, either, with Ubisoft announcing a new October 7, 2021 release date just ahead of E3 2021. While the wait for Far Cry 6 hasn’t been too long yet, it’s relatively unusual for Ubisoft to delay one of the Far Cry games at all, let alone by eight months. Far Cry 5 did get a delay, but only by a month.

The King of Fighters XV

The King of Fighters XV suffered a delay from a vague window to a slightly less vague window, moving from some point in 2021 to Q1 2022. SNK made the announcement just before E3 2021, saying the increasing cases of COVID-19 in Japan have affected development. It will be the first new game in the series since 2016, with famous returning characters from Fatal Fury, Ikari Warriors, and Art of Fighting also appearing.

Axiom Verge 2

The highly-anticipated sequel to Tom Happ’s excellent metroidvania, Axiom Verge 2 was previously scheduled to launch early this year, but it has now been bumped into Q3 2021. Speaking to IGN, Happ said the delay will allow for the game to get better and it will help avoid needing to crunch–which often happens when games are running behind schedule. When it does release, it will be available on Nintendo Switch as well as the Epic Games Store. The first game is on PS4, PC, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One, and Switch.

Skull & Bones

A tale as old as time. A song as old as rhyme. Skull & Bones delayed.

It’s easy to forget that Ubisoft’s open-world online pirate game Skull & Bones is even still in development, but it is, and the company reminded investors during an earnings call in May 2020. The game has been delayed entirely out of the current fiscal year, meaning it won’t arrive until April 2022 at the very earliest. The game was first announced back in 2017 and has undergone development shakeups, including getting a new creative director. Studio managing director Hugues Ricour also left his position in late 2020 over harassment and bullying allegations.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

Fight Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

The highly anticipated next Five Nights at Freddy’s game, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, looks like it will be a major step up for the indie horror series, but the developers need more time to fully realize their vision. As such, the game has been delayed until late 2021, but Cawthon also released a free game called Security Breach: Fury’s Rage as a consolation gift. It’s heavily inspired by the Streets of Rage series.

Deathloop

Arkane Lyon’s Deathloop was planned to launch in May after already being bumped from a late 2020 window, but it won’t meet that date, either. The Dishonored-style time-twisting action game is now coming on September 14, and the developer said it wanted to make sure it can create a “fun, stylish, and mind-bending player experience” while also keeping its employees healthy and safe.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Originally planned to launch in Spring 2021, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has been delayed to an unclear future date. Traveller’s Tales did not give an exact reason for the delay other than wanting to give the team more time to deliver “the biggest and best-ever Lego game,” and said it would provide new launch information as soon as it can.

Gran Turismo 7

Sony confirmed back in February that Gran Turismo 7 had been delayed into 2022. The decision came as “critical” parts of the development process were affected by the pandemic, and because of the changing nature of the global situation, a firm date wasn’t set. As we get closer to next year, that will likely change.

Riders Republic

Originally scheduled to release back in February, Ubisoft delayed its extreme sports game Riders Republic just about a month prior to launch. It then did something similar a short time before its scheduled September launch, bumping the game to October 28.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

We won’t be able to get our “handses” on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum until 2022. The game’s planned 2021 launch got pushed early in the year, with companies Daedalic Entertainment and Nacon partnering on the project moving forward. It’s still planned to release on several different systems, including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Kena: Bridge of Spirits got a delay to early 2021 a short time after it was showcased at the PS5’s official reveal event. However, that window didn’t stick, either. In late February, it was delayed against, this time getting a firm August 24 date for both the PS4 and PS5 versions. That also didn’t last, with the game getting another delay to September 21.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Originally planned for a launch this March, the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake was delayed to an unclear future date back in February. Ubisoft cited wanting to make a remake that still feels fresh while staying true to the spirit of the original version, but it didn’t specify how long the delay would be or if it’s even still planned to release in 2021. The series has been largely on ice since Assassin’s Creed exploded in popularity over a decade ago.

Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy, a game set in the 19th century of Harry Potter’s world, was scheduled to release later this year, but it has been delayed to 2022. The delay came amid controversy surrounding author J.K. Rowling, who is not directly involved with the project. Developer Avalanche Software previously worked on the Disney Infinity series and is separate from Just Cause studio Avalanche Studios.

Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights, a spin-off of the Batman series–and a non-canonical one–was scheduled to arrive before the end of 2021 before being bumped into next year. Warner Bros. gave a very vague statement about wanting to “provide the best possible experience for players” but did not specify the reason behind the delay. The cooperative action game is directed by Patrick Redding, who previously worked on Splinter Cell and Far Cry. It’s only one DC game Warner Bros. has cooking, with a Suicide Squad game also coming in 2022. However, we wouldn’t be shocked to see that one get bumped, as well.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

A game awash in controversy and production issues, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 got delayed late last year to a 2021 date. Since then, publisher Paradox chose to delay the game again, this time out of 2021 completely. Furthermore, a new developer is working on the project, replacing Hardsuit Labs, which was subsequently hit with layoffs. It’s one of a few troubled projects that previously involved writer Chris Avellone, who was later accused of sexual misconduct, though none of his contributions are being used.

Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2 has been delayed a few different times, and it was originally scheduled to release about a year ago. A delay announced back in January was indefinite, though it was still confirmed for 2021, and the game was later confirmed to launch in December. This came after Techland was accused of a toxic work environment and poor leadership. Writer Chris Avellone also worked on Dying Light 2 and left the project amid sexual misconduct allegations. Its delays come as Dead Island 2–a sequel to a game Techland also created–has been in development hell for several years and is now on its third developer.

Guilty Gear Strive

The latest 2D fighting game from Arc System Works, Guilty Gear Strive, was delayed by about two months, moving from April to June 11, 2021. The delay came after the game’s open beta, during which the studio solicited feedback from the community and determined that it wanted to spend more time polishing it before launch. This includes making improvements to server stability as well as the online lobbies, which have sometimes been problematic in the company’s other online fighting games.

Humankind

The 4X strategy game Humankind, which lets you rewrite human history as you see fit, was delayed from April to August as developer Amplitude Studios looks to address feedback it received during a beta period. Elements the studio is looking to improve are the pacing, balancing, and diplomacy tools. The user interface will also be getting improved prior to its new August 17 release date.

Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood, a cooperative horror shooter from Turtle Rock that serves as a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, was delayed from June 22 until October 12. The studio didn’t give any concrete information on the reason behind the delay aside from wanting to improve the game, but it did say there would be an open beta this summer for eager players to try out. A separate alpha test was held on PC last year.

Pragmata

Wait, they announced that delay already? Capcom’s Pragmata was shown off in 2020 as a showcase for the PS5, but the game already received a delay. It isn’t coming out until 2023, meaning it’s probably going to be a long time before we hear more about the game at all. It gave Death Stranding vibes in its previous appearance, and it’s scheduled to launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

New World

Amazon’s MMO New World has been delayed more times than we can count. Seemingly one of the only games Amazon hasn’t canceled outright, New World was moved from a vague Spring 2021 window to August 31, 2021. The development team is working to improve endgame features prior to launch, as well as add more polish to the game overall.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Destiny 2

Planned to launch in November, the expansion Destiny 2: The Witch Queen has been delayed into 2022. The scope and complexity of the expansion and its narrative ties to other content was one of the reasons for the delay, and the studio also wanted to avoid putting extra pressure on the development team during the pandemic. However, content for the game, including the Vault of Glass raid, will continue throughout 2021.

Source: Gamespot