Upcoming Xbox console exclusive The Medium will be delayed by one month. The game will now launch on January 28, with developer Bloober Team citing COVID-19 and a competitive launch window, which now includes Cyberpunk 2077, as reasons.
A statement from the game’s Twitter account reads: “It wasn’t an easy choice to make, but one made due to the COVID-19 situation in Poland, as well as the current schedule of other games on the market.”
We have important message to share with you#TheMedium #Blooberteam #XboxSeriesX #XboxSeriesS #PCgame #STEAMgame pic.twitter.com/XbpQUOyJj3
— The Medium Game (@TheMediumGame) November 6, 2020
The first half is a familiar story for video games in 2020, which have seen major delays throughout the year as studios struggle with the ongoing pandemic.
Bloober Team’s concerns about the “current schedule of games” is especially notable. The game was originally slated to release on December 10. However, that’s now the same day Cyberpunk 2077 will launch following a last-minute delay that came after the game went gold. While the post doesn’t call Cyberpunk 2077 out by name, it is likely the game that the studio is citing.
The Medium’s delay is another setback for the launch of the Xbox Series X and Series S. The horror game is a console exclusive for the new systems, and its delay takes one of Microsoft’s few launch window games off the table this holiday season. The delay clears the runway for Cyberpunk 2077 in December, which launches on both new Xbox consoles and the PlayStation 5.
Bloober Team says it will continue to share details about the game in the meantime, and will use the extra development time “to add further polish, ensuring we deliver our innovative, genre-pushing vision of interactive psychological horror.”
