Square Enix’s upcoming looter-shooter Outriders is delayed to April 1. This is the game’s second major delay following one that pushed it out of its original 2020 release window.
Outriders was one of the first “next-gen” games to be shown in 2020. Developed by People Can Fly, the game looks like a cross between Destiny 2 and Gears of War. After a big reveal event, the game quietly moved to a February 2 launch date. Little news has come out on the game since its last date shift.
The development team says that the April 1 delay will allow them to “spend extra time fine tuning the game and delivering a fantastic play experience at launch.”
An important update regarding Outriders. pic.twitter.com/HHZrq5GIik
— Outriders (@Outriders) January 6, 2021
The game is still planned to launch on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. A Stadia launch was scheduled for later in 2021 and it’s not clear if that date will be affected by the shift.
Instead of launching in February as planned, People Can Fly says it will release a free demo for the game on February 25. The demo allows players to play the first few hours of the game in single-player and co-op. Four character classes will be available to try and all progress will carry over to the full game in April.
The delay makes this winter’s release schedule look particularly slim. While big titles like Hitman 3 and The Medium are still scheduled to make their planned targets, several other games have been pushed out of the window. That includes games like Far Cry 6 and the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake.
In our 2021 gaming predictions, we noted that delays would likely be rampant this year due to the long-term impact of COVID-19. While People Can Fly didn’t mention the ongoing health crisis as a factor in the delay, companies such as Ubisoft have cited it as a major part of its schedule changes.
