Returnal’s release is now pushed by just over a month, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today.
Developed by Housemarque, Returnal was initially slated for release on March 19. Today’s delay moves that drop to April 30 to “give the team extra time to continue to polish the game to the level of quality players expect from Housemarque,” according to SIE.
Not only does Returnal look amazing (expected, coming from the studio that made 2013’s extremely well-polished and well-regarded Resogun), it’s also one of the only PlayStation 5 exclusives on the horizon. Most next-gen games are either already out will be available across generations. Alongside The Medium—which released yesterday for Xbox Series X and S—Returnal offers one of the first chances to see what a next-gen game can do when unshackled from last-gen tech.
Earlier this month, video games based on the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings universes were delayed into 2022. The third-person shooter Outriders was delayed from a broad February release to April 1, though a free demo will be available on February 25. Ubisoft’s Steep-like Riders Republic was pushed from a February release to an unspecified date later this year. And last fall, Ubisoft delayed Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Quarantine, both of which were originally scheduled to release before March 31. Destruction All-Stars, a planned PS5 launch title, was pushed out of 2020. That’ll hit the ground rolling next month, where it joins February’s “free” PS Plus games for the PS5.
We’ve seen what happens when high-profile video games aren’t kept in the oven as long as necessary. Last year, CD Projekt Red’s much-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed (thrice!) and still released with numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues on last-gen consoles. Returnal isn’t married to last-gen tech, but still. Take all the time you need, Housemarque. We’ll play it when you feel it’s good and ready.