Forspoken, the upcoming action RPG from Square Enix-owned developer Luminous Productions, has been delayed.
The PS5 console exclusive was originally scheduled to launch on May 24, but will now be released on October 11 later this year.
Luminous announced the delay in a tweet and said it would use the extra development time to polish Forspoken to a level that meets players’ expectations.
“Our vision for this exciting new IP is to deliver a game world and hero that gamers across the globe will want to experience for years to come, so getting it right is extremely important to us,” the announcement tweet reads.
“To that end, during the next few months we will focus all of our efforts on polishing the game and can’t wait for you to experience Frey’s journey this fall.”
Forspoken was first revealed in 2020 as Project Athia. Billed as a narratively-driven open-world game that focuses on fluid traversal across fractured terrain, it follows the journey of Frey Holland, who is magically transported from her home in New York City to the fantasy world of Athia.
You’ll play as Frey as she tries to find a way back home, wielding spells to travel the world in what Luminous describes as “magic parkour”. You’ll also be throwing down spells and traps to fend off the many beasts and minions that have been sent to scupper your plans.
Forspoken will be coming to PS5 and PC, although it may hit Xbox platforms in the future. A showcase trailer for upcoming PS5 games released in 2020 included Forspoken, as well as a tagline stating the game would "not available on other consoles until at least 24 months after release date". That would suggest it may be coming to Xbox Series X/S in October 2024.
Analysis: time well spent
No one likes to hear that one of their most anticipated games has been delayed, but more time in the developmental oven is rarely a bad thing. Countless games have been rushed to the shelves before they’re ready for a full release, souring the perception of critics and players alike.
You only need to look at Battlefield 2042 to understand just how damaging a poor release can be to a game and its wider franchise. Released with a slate of technical bugs, graphical glitches, and quality-of-life issues, Battlefield 2042’s playerbase has dramatically diminished since it was released late last year, dropping below the player count of its nine-year-old predecessor, Battlefield 4.
Players eager to explore the fluid, magical parkour of Forspoken can rest safe in the knowledge that its devs have been given extra time to iron out its creases. The debacle surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 shows only too clearly the upset that can be caused when a game fails to deliver on its promises.
