Bad news for the impatient. Uncharted 4 is getting another two week delay while Mass Effect: Andromeda heads to Q1 of 2017.
The news hit hard yesterday. Two of 2016’s most anticipated games have been postponed. It seems that further manufacturing and the prior launching of other titles are the reasons behind these changes. Which of course opens the question about the reliability of developers and publishers towards their customers.
Let’s go briefly over the new dates!
Uncharted 4 Gets Delayed by Two Weeks
Okay, it may not be as crucial as it sounds. But the fact is that Naughty Dog has postponed the game already two times before. First was the absence of Nathan Drake from your 2015 Christmas present list and the subsequent slip into Spring, aiming for March. Right after that the title moved to April. And now we can only hope Nathan stops jumping around and the team commits to a final release date.
Shawn Laiden, the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, has released an official statement that reads as follows:
[blockquote cite=”Via PlayStation Blog”]As you know, Naughty Dog is wrapping up production on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End with the game on track to go gold and into production later this month. In an effort to meet the considerable worldwide demand, and to ensure that all gamers worldwide have the opportunity to play the game on day one, we have chosen to postpone the launch of the game by two weeks to allow for extra manufacturing time. Therefore, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has a new worldwide release date of May 10, 2016.[/blockquote]
On the other hand, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is looking amazing and it will be worth the extra wait. Or that claims the team behind it. It’s not very reassuring for the ones who have been waiting. The same ones that contemplated how 8 months of works disappeared into the void as Amy Hennig, the lead writer, left the team during development in March 2014. But it seems the third time’s the charm.
Mass Effect: Andromeda Will Arrive in 2017
Originally planned for the end of 2016, the epic sci-fi adventure of Bioware has been postponed until Q1 of next year. That quarter spans from January to March and aligns this release with that of its predecessors: Mass Effect 2 came out by the end of January 2010 while Mass Effect 3 did so by early March two years later. The reason for the delay of Mass Effect: Andromeda is probably the presence of other highly awaited titles that are also in the pipeline. Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 5 are currently scheduled for Sep/Oct and November respectively.
These news have been received with utter disappointment. However, it could well be that the extension provides extra opportunities for the team to polish their game. After all, the expectations are quite high since Sheppard’s chapter was closed. And probably Bioware still remembers that rushed Mass Effect 3 delivery and the community roar that followed.
Mass Effect Andromeda promises us a captivating world far away from the galaxy we once knew; a piece of the universe not touched by the Reapers, where exploration will be key.
Looking on the bright side of things, this buffer time will give us the opportunity of revisiting the Mass Effect trilogy at our own pace and prepare for what’s to come.
