Aaron_Fancher July 14, 2009 Industry 25 views Comments Print This Post  Email This Post

Every now and then a different game seems to get bit by the “Duke Nukem Bug”. Gamers often find their most highly anticipated games being pushed back for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes the reasons are as simple as the game not being ready for release. Other times it is because of the game switching hands between companies (Brutal Legend and Ghostbusters), the economic climate, or even the presence of competition. None of the games in this years line up look to be delayed for years like Duke Nukem Forever, but we do have plenty of delays on the horizon.

Possibly the biggest title to be delayed BioShock 2, set to be released sometime this fall, has been pushed back until first quarter of 2010. Officially Take Two is citing a need to “provide additional development time for the title”. Take Two has also delayed three other big name titles in their upcoming portfolio; Mafia II, Max Payne 3, and Red Dead Redemption. Take Two feels that holding these four titles back will create better games as a result. Hopefully the wait is well worth it.

This fall is filled with blockbuster titles such as DJ Hero, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Batman: Arkham Asylum. Heavy Rain and Singularity are two prominent titles being pushed back to release when the market is less crowded. Singularity in particular is being delayed to avoid being lost in the hype surrounding another Activision title, Modern Warfare 2.

While not a full game, PS3 fans have been waiting and waiting for their Fallout 3 DLC and while Bethesda is “excited and eager” to release the content to the PSN, it looks like fans will have to continue waiting.

Long development times are expected for top titles. We would much rather they take a few extra months to give us a game that is not broken rather than pushing out a game before it is done.