PS5 timed exclusive Deathloop delayed again
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed development schedules for a lot of upcoming games, and Arkane's Deathloop is no exception to that. The game has gone through a few shifting release dates over the past year or so, and unfortunately, it's being delayed again today. When we last heard from Arkane on the topic of Deathloop's release, the studio was targeting a release date of May 21st, 2021, but now that has been moved back to September.
Specifically, in a statement published to Twitter, Arkane said that it is now targeting a September 14th, 2021 release for PlayStation 5 and PC, delaying the game by about four months. "We've made the decision to delay the launch of Deathloop to September 14, 2021," Arkane's statement reads. "We're committed to quality and preserving our team's ambitions for Deathloop while ensuring the health and safety of everyone at Arkane. We'll be using this extra time to accomplish our goal: create a fun, stylish, and mind-bending multiplayer experience."
— DEATHLOOP (@deathloop) April 8, 2021
Arkane's statement continues with an apology, saying, "We apologize for the extended wait and thank you all for your passion and excitement. It is the fuel that powers our creativity and our hard work. We can't wait to show you more Deathloop soon!"
Deathloop is in an interesting spot, as it's a PlayStation 5 exclusive being developed by a studio that is now part of Microsoft following the company's acquisition of ZeniMax Media earlier this year. Microsoft has indicated that it will honor the exclusivity deals ZeniMax and its subsidiaries had in place before the acquisition, so Deathloop remains a timed PS5 console exclusive despite technically being a Microsoft property.
Originally, Deathloop was slated to launch in late 2020 before being pushed back to Q2 2021, with Arkane eventually announcing that May 21st, 2021 release date. Hopefully this new September release date is the final one, but regardless, we'll be keeping an eye out for more information about Deathloop.