Despite production “proceeding smoothly,” Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today that Gravity Rush 2 for PlayStation 4 has been delayed to January 18, 2017 in Europe and January 20, 2017 in North America.
Since giving the previous November/December 2016 launch date earlier this year, “the landscape for that release date has changed dramatically,” with titles like Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian, Steep, and more crowding up the holiday schedule. As a result, Sony has decided to delay Gravity Rush 2 to 2017, with Game Director Keiichiro Toyama explaining:
In July, we announced a release date for Gravity Rush 2 that we felt most appropriate for the title. Since then, though production is proceeding smoothly, the landscape for that release date has changed dramatically.
Gravity Rush 2 is the conclusion of Kat’s journey, so we want players to have enough time to dive deep into her story. In addition, as a lot of work went into online features that allow for asynchronous player interaction, we want as many people as possible playing the title at the same time. Thus, after careful deliberation, we have decided to change the release date. Gravity Rush 2 will now launch on January 20, 2017.
After apologizing for making players wait longer to play Gravity Rush 2, which has been in development for four years, Toyama revealed that the planned premium story DLC will now be available free of charge due to the delay. “This additional story will take place in the world of Gravity Rush 2 and we think fans will have a lot of fun playing through it,” he added.
Expect more details about Gravity Rush 2 and the special animated feature as we approach launch. Sony also appears to have hinted at a demo coming in the future.
Do you think it was a good idea to move Gravity Rush 2 from holiday 2016 to the week before Resident Evil 7, Yakuza 0, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8, and Sniper Ghost Warrior 3?
[Source: PS Blog (1), (2)]
